Tokyo Ghoul Root Q
by TheZakuPowerHour
Summary: Most know the tragedy of Kaneki Ken and his hardships of becoming a ghoul. However, what if Kaneki never became a half ghoul, but rather if he and Hide had willing agreed to participate in the CCG's newest Quinx project. They'll soon realize that violence alone won't solve the dispute between humans and ghouls, and find themselves fighting to bring resolution between the two.
1. Genesis

_**Taking a break from Phantomtale for now. This idea sprouted from a conversation with my girlfriend on what would be cool for me to write about. I'll eventually improve the cover sheet, after all, this current cover is just something I wiped up.**_

* * *

" _One the 28th, part of the remains of a man's body was found on the street by the Takada Building."_ The voice of the man speaking on the television echoed through the coffee shop, and was loud enough to be heard by those merely passing by the quaint shop. " _Fluid from what is thought to be a "ghoul" was left at the scene. Investigators are considering this the work of an "eater" type and are commencing a search of the surrounding area. There are fears of an "eater" attacking the city of Tokyo… But what are they actually like? Today, we will ask Dr. Ogura, a researcher who studies "eater" types._ **"**

"Heh, that's a sketchy-looking old guy." Hide commented as he had his focus on the small television; a forlorn look took form on his face as he felt a shiver run up his spine. "Scary… The Takada Building's pretty close to here…" Hide sighed as he turned back to face his fellow college freshman and best friend, Kaneki Ken. "You'd be eaten up in a second, Kaneki; a scrawny kid like you who's always reading incomprehensible books." If his love for literature had not overshadowed his opinion on himself, perhaps Kaneki would have taken offense to being called scrawny rather than giving attention to Hide's comment on what he thought of books.

"Wh… What do you mean, incomprehensible…?" Kaneki questioned with a cocked eyebrow and flat expression. "Hide, if you would just pick up a book you might get it…" Hide then gave a slight cringe to the image of him reading, and let out a small groan as he let his head fall on the table top.

"It's no use; I'll just end up falling asleep after like, five seconds." Hide whined. Kaneki shook his head as he reached for his cup of coffee. Taking a sip, he let out a breath through his nostrils as the warm-liquid of perfectly brewed coffee smoothly went down his throat.

"Anyway, I was just thinking…" Kaneki said as he put down his cup, "I've never once seen a "ghoul". Do they really exist? I mean, monsters that eat people… Seems fictional to me, if I'm honest."

"They must…" Hide muttered as he looked up from the desk at his best friend. "I've heard they disguise themselves as humans, and lie and wait… then suddenly they're there, things like that."

"Disguised as humans, huh…?" Kaneki mused aloud as he gazed around the shop. From the well dressed servers in white-collared shirts and black vests, to the surrounding patrons, old and young; they all seemed like suspects to Kaneki after thinking about what Hide had said. "Kaneki, maybe you're a ghoul!" Hide proclaimed loudly.

"Idiot. If I were a ghoul, I think you would be very dead, Hide." Kaneki patronized as he tapped his pencil. "You say "disguised as", but couldn't they just be "monsters in the shape of a man"?" Kaneki questioned as he begun to jot down a quick sketch of a detailed golem-equse beast on the napkin he had used as a coaster for his cup. "Something like this." Kaneki stated as he showed Hide his picture.

"I did one too, Kaneki." Hide grinned as he showed a goofy and poorly drawn depiction of Kaneki drawn on his napkin as well, which earned him a quick scowl from his best friend. Putting down the picture, Hide put on a coy look as he placed his finger on the handle of his empty cup and begun to slightly wiggle it back and forth on its plate. "You know, Kaneki… Let's talk about something besides ghouls…"

"Oh… Like what?"

"For example, which one's the cute coffee shop girl you were telling me about?" Hide slyfully spoke in a purposely loud voice. The shy bookworm let out a small yelp as he watched his best friend beginning to make a scene as he searched left and right around the room.

"You're shouting!" Kaneki scolded as he glared at his best friend. "Don't look around like that…" He whispered in a low voice. Spotting a potential candidate, Hide pointed his thumb in the back direction.

"Oh, is it her?" Hide asked. Looking over to where he was pointing at as cautiously as he could, Kaneki caught sight of the waitress with swept over bangs that covered half of her face.

"No, she's a waitress here. I was talking about a customer…" Kaneki explained, but still, he couldn't help but admire her nonetheless. ' _Although, she's definitely cute…_ ' He thought to himself.

"Excuse me!" Hide called over with a raised hand, which caught Kaneki off guard in his moment of checking out the young woman.

"Yes?" She asked as she quickly turned around to see the light duo-toned-haired young man standing up from his chair as he waved frantically at her.

"Can I order?!" Hide shouted in a giddy voice. "I'll have a cappuccino," he ordered, despite not receiving an response back from the waitress. "How about you?!" Hide yelled as he looked at Kaneki, who was extremely embarrassed by his friend's sudden outburst.

"I'm fine, I still haven't finished mine yet..." Kaneki quietly replied.

"One cappuccino…" The waitress muttered to herself as she wrote down the order on her notepad. Just when Kaneki thought Hide was just simply ordering, that's when his best friend sprung forward with to activate his trap card.

"Oh, excuse me, what might your name be?"

"Kirishima Touka…" She replied with a questioned look on her face, which soon became amplified as Hide stood up to hold her hands.

"Touka… Do you have a boyfriend?!" Hide asked with a bluntness that was softened by his blushing face; which quite frankly did little other than greatly unsettle Touka. Watching such a sight, Kaneki could feel himself cringing internally as Touka begun to stutter.

"Er… ummm…." In a slight panic, Touka embraced the notepad close to her chest as she did a one-eighty degree turn away from Hide. "I… I don't!" She shouted as she ran away from Hide, who still had his hand outstretched toward his would-be princess.

"Hey!" Hide called out, but let out a sigh as his hand dropped to his side with much disappointment. "How lovely…"

"Hide, why you-! Stop that, you idiot!" Kaneki scolded him with a bitter looked once more. "Don't do weird things! This shop is the only connection I have to that girl! What'll I do if we get banned…"

"All right, I'm sorry!" Hide apologized as he raised his hands up to his shoulders. "She was just so cute I couldn't help it!...?" Hide's explanation fell short as he noticed Kaneki instantly lower his face down as soon as the door to the coffee shop swung open. "What is it, Kaneki?"

"Look…" Kaneki whispered as he pointed his finger at the girl with purple hair and red glasses that wore a white dress near the entrance of the shop, "That girl… It's her." Upon gazing at her beauty, Hide's felt his eyes widen as he let out a breath of defeat.

"KANEKI!" Hide exclaimed dramatically as he swung down his hands onto his best friend's shoulders. "Sorry to say this, but… GIVE IT UP!"

"Wha…!?" Kaneki gasped out as he felt his heart drop. Hide retracted his hands, and gave a quick second look to see who Kaneki was thirsty for once more, before feeling his eye twitch.

"No matter what you do, a hottie like that is impossible." Hide explained with a frown across his face as he turned back to face his disgruntled friend. "I bet she'll transform if you take off her glasses…"

"Ugh… I… I know… That we wouldn't go well together." Kaneki sighed as he looked down once more. "I'm happy enough just seeing her. Besides… When she… When she meets my eyes, she smiles a little… If maybe she shares my feelings…" While Kaneki continued to admire the cute girl in his trance-like state, Hide meanwhile just stared at him a blank expression.

"You're… You're kinda being _THAT_ guy… It's creepy." Hide pointed out, which snapped Kaneki out of his love-trance stupper. "She's giving you a forced smile because you're starting at her suspiciously."

"D… Don't be stupid…" Kaneki muttered. Hide flashed a smirk before getting up from his seat.

"Well, I got to see the girl you were talking about. But I gotta go to work now." He excused himself as he stood up. "Good luck, delusion-boy!" Hide chuckled as he walked over to leave, but not before wishing his beloved waitress a goodbye.

' _Gah, that guy…_ ' Kaneki thought as he watched Hide flirtatiously say goodbye to Touka before exiting. ' _I'll keep reading then._ ' He thought to himself as he picked up his novel to bring it up to his face. Try as he might, he couldn't focus on even his most recent purchase of books, but rather only on his crush as took notice of her reading. Despite her apparent beauty, the main reason Kaneki had found himself so attracted her was not her looks, but rather her taste in literature. Even there in the coffee shop, she was reading; and not just any book, but the work of one of his most beloved authors: Takatsuki Sen. Nonetheless, by chance, she happened to be reading the same title as he pretended to, The Black Goat's Egg, which was Takatsuki Sen's seventh novel in the series. Summarizing what he had read so far in his head, he realized too late that the very lady he was admiring had her coffee in hand as she walked over to him. ' _Gah… She's coming over here._ ' It was then that Kaneki failed to notice that his book was opened far enough, that the she had bumped into the edge, which caused her to drop his book on the ground. "S-Sorry…" Kaneki apologized as in a sheepish way, and was about to reach for his book when he noticed her kneeling down to grab it.

"Oh? The Black Goat's Egg…" She muttered to herself before standing back up with the book in her hand. "This is interesting. I was just reading that too… Do you like him? Takatsuki?" She asked, to which had nearly caught Kaneki at a lost for words.

"Y-Y-Y-YES! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TAKATSUKI SEN!" He shouted, which the young woman just smiled at. Calming himself down, Kaneki brought his fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat. "I… um… I love mysteries!"

"Ah, so do I!" As the two begun to hit it off, over the table counters near the cash register, Touka watched wordlessly at the scene. With the ruckus and hormones coursing through the coffee shop, neither Kaneki nor Touka had noticed the mysterious man outside with white hair and a suitcase walking by- taking a quick notice at the bookworm's romantic interest before continuing on with his way.

* * *

Outside, underneath the blue skies and through the hustle of the afternoon streets of the city, Kaneki and Hide sat down together for iced tea for Hide's lunch break. "Eh? So you're going out with that girl... I guess people do get lucky sometimes…" Hide mused aloud before taking another sip through his straw.

"Yeah… Her name is Kamishiro Rize." Kaneki said as he cletched his fist in a determined manner. "This time, we're going to give each other novel recommendations! It's my first outing ever with a girl… but it's a dream-bookstore date! Hide… My heart has been deeply touched!"

"I don't really understand the appeal of a date in a bookstore, but… Whatever, go and have fun!" Hide smiled as he gave a thumbs up. However, that's when Kaneki looked up with a sheepish smile as he lowered his fist.

"Actually… Erm… I was going to ask you for uh… a favor." Intrigued, Hide leaned forward as he set his elbows down on the table.

"Oh? What kind of a favor would that be?"

"Because I've never been on a date before… and I _really_ like this girl… I was hoping that you would be able to guide me through the steps." Hide's face lit up as he held his hand up to his mouth.

"Kaneki Ken! Are you asking me, Hideyoshi Nagachika, to be your wingman?!"

"Not exactly…" Kaneki said as he began to twiddle his thumbs. "I would like this to be a rather intimate date; one where we would be able to share our feelings with other." He explained before taking a quick sip of his tea. "I was thinking more one the lines of you overseeing the date from a distance; hiding inconspicuously through the crowds as you give me tips on what to do and what I'm doing wrong." Kaneki knew his request was odd, and perhaps even creepy to a degree. Had it been anyone else, surely they would have declined. However, the thought only furthered interested Hide.

"You mean… Like a cupid-batman?" Kaneki then watched as Hide playfully swiped his arm across- as if though he had a cape on. "Don't worry Kaneki, I shall watch over you like a silent guardian as if you were Gotham herself; for I am the Dark Knight!" Kaneki, although he thought Hide was acting completely foolish, couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on man, I see you smiling!"

"I know, and I hate it."

* * *

The next day, both Kaneki and Rize had agreed to eat at a bistro located downtown. After they had gotten their table, it wasn't long until Hide followed suite. Sitting down, Kaneki placed his cell phone on the table near his plate as he sat across from his date. "Excuse me for a one second…" Kaneki apologized as he quickly picked up his cell phone.

' _Are you able to see us?_ ' He messaged Hide, who seconds later replied.

' _Ya, im a few tables over to ur right._ ' Putting his cell phone back at its spot, Kaneki looked over Rize's shoulder, careful not to make it obvious as he watched Hide give him a quick wave.

"So Kaneki, what is your number one recommendation?" Rize asked in an attempt to make small talk, to which the shy bookworm was more than happy to converse back with as he twirled his alfredo with his fork.

"Hmm… Takatsuki Sen's debut work maybe?" Kaneki replied as he picked up to the fork before stuffing his mouth with the noodles.

"Oh, 'Dear Kafka'!" Rize stated as she begun to recall the novel. "That trick with the letter really got me. Speaking of Takatsuki, his short story collections are really interesting too. Like Monochrome Rainbow…" Memorized by her cleavage, the sudden vibration of his phone caused Kaneki to jump in his seat as he let out a muffled gasp. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh…! No… Um… Hold on." Looking down at his screen, Kaneki felt his face beginning to flush at what Hide had sent him.

It read, " _lol, stahp looking at her boobs XD!_ '

"Er… Ah…" Trying to take change the subject, Kaneki around for anything to take his mind off what he had been focusing on; that's when he caught glance at Rize's plate. "Is that sandwich all you're going to eat, Rize…?" To Kaneki, it looked as though she had only taken a single bite, and even that was an overstatement.

"Oh…" Rize murmured as she placed her hand over her mouth. "I've been eating too much lately… Umm… I'm sort of… on a diet…" She explained, to which Kaneki just stared at her with a bewildered look. Not wanting to further make the situation awkward, Rize stood up from her chair. "Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom…"

"Oh… Yes, go ahead!" Kaneki smiled, but as soon as she turned to begin walking over to the restroom, he let out a small sigh. "She's not fat at all, though… girls…" He muttered to himself as he took another bite of his noodles. In a quick pace, Hide ran over to him, with a smirk on his face. "Hide?! Go back before she returns!"

"Kaneki, you're a real ladies' man." He said jokingly as he patted him on his shoulder. "Keep it up, and you'll get that happy ending." Hearing that, Kaneki's blush returned fiercer than ever before as he hid his face in his hands.

* * *

After the talking in the bistro, the couple had spent the rest of the day at the carnival. With Hide's guidance, Kaneki sailed smoothly through the date with Rize, to which in his eyes turned out to be a major success. Under the starlit night, Kaneki and Rize walked down the back alley of a series of apartment buildings, with Hide following the couple through the shadows of the night. "You're type AB, Rize? I am too, you know.".

"Really? What a coincidence." Rize said with a smile, to which soon was followed with a blush as she looked down. "Our reading choices too… and we're the same age… We sure have a lot in common, don't we?" She said as she turned to look at Kaneki, who couldn't help but smile back, despite his shyness. Somehow, to him, it felt like a good thing. Distracted with his own thoughts, Kaneki failed to notice the other two young women that walked past him, one of them being the waitress before. Stopping to look back, Touka wordless watched as Kaneki and Rize made their way down the alley.

"What is it, Touka?" The other girl with a auburn bob-hairdo asked as she turned around to see her best friend looking back. Not wanting to worry the girl, Touka shook it off as she turned back forward to face her friend.

"Oh… Nothing… Wait…" Listening carefully, the waitress looked over her friends' shoulder to see a familiar face running up toward them.

"Touka~!" Hide called out as he approached them the same goofy smile as before. Much to Touka's dismay, she groaned as she facepalmed. "Fancy meeting you here at this hour!"

"... What do you want?" Touka asked as she glared at the happy-go-lucky college student.

"Oh nothing, just wanting to… Who's your friend?"

* * *

"Thank you for today, Kaneki." Rize said as she gave her gratitude.

"No, it was my pleasure… I had fun too!" Kaneki smiled, but gave a slight awkward look as he gave a quick glance over shoulder before looking back at Rize. "Well, I live in the other direction, so…" Expecting that the moment to either exchange numbers or simply just part ways, Kaneki found it odd that Rize simply just stood there silently as she looked down.

"Umm… My house is a little bit before the Takada Building street..." She stated with a slight nervous tone behind her voice, to which Kaneki had a feeling to where this conversation was going. "Recently… there was an incident there."

"Oh… Er, the "ghoul"..." Kaneki commented as he felt himself beginning to frown from the thought of such a creature lurking in the dark.

"Yes… I've been worried about it ever since… and I'm scared walking home alone… I think about it so much that I can't even sleep at night…" Even Kaneki was beginning to be freaked out.

* * *

"-And then everyone started shooting fireworks at Hide." Kaneki chuckled as he finished recalling an incident in school.

"Oh that's mean!" Rize laughed as she shook her head. "Sounds kind of fun though…" Seeing how talking about his best friend was lighting up the mood greatly, Kaneki used the subject of Hide as a way to motivate him as he walked her home.

"Now I think of it, I have one of Hide's drawing in my bag…" Kaneki mused aloud as he begun to rifle through the papers in his bag.

"Drawings?"

"Yeah, when we were watching the news about the "ghoul"." Kaneki replied. It was only a matter of seconds before the familiar sketches from earlier popped out of the binder he kept. "There it is." He then pulled out the drawing and showed Rize; the instant she saw them, she gazed in awe. "They're our composite sketches of the "eater"."

"Wow Kaneki! That's really good!" She complimented before looking down to see the other sketch. "Hide's is interesting…" After he put the drawings back, Kaneki begun to walk forward. It was only a few yards until he realized that Rize wasn't following, but rather just standing still. "But it's mysterious, isn't it? That what started you and me walking together like this was a Takatsuki novel. Very mysterious…" Suddenly, she dug her head into Kaneki's chest, which instantly lit his cheeks ablaze with red. "Kaneki… The truth is, I noticed." Lifting back her head from his chest, she looked up with a seductively innocent smile as she stared into his grey eyes. "I noticed… You were watching me. Kaneki… I too-"

"-Kaneki! Get away!" The couple froze to the spot, and looked behind them to see Hide running toward them at high speed. Kaneki groaned in embarrassment and turned back- ready to apologize to his date as well as provide her with an explanation. However, he turned to see Rize with a horrifyingly angered expression as she stared at Hide. What sent chills down Kaneki's spine however, were her blackened eyes that both sported red pupils. Falling back, Kaneki begun to crawl back in panic as Rize locked her eyes on him. It then became clear to both Kaneki and Hide in the moment as she looked down at him with hunger in her eyes: she was the "eater".

"No one likes a spoiler to an ending!" Rize screamed as she leapt down with the intentions of taking a bite into Kaneki's collar, but instead was met with a swift kick in the face from Hide, which only stunned her, but it was enough time for Hide help Kaneki to his feet. "You… You must be Hide." Backing away, the two friends felt their hearts racing in their chest as Rize took step after step toward them. Although they both knew that should have turned away to run, they were both too fixated on the four tendril-like red appendages protruding from her lower back. "You know… This makes me shudder. Here I was, fantasizing about how this date was going to end like a scene from The Black Goat's Egg… But what I should have been fantasizing about from the very beginning was making my own sequel to Takatsuki's work… The truth was… I WATCHED YOU TOO!" Seeing the tendrils shooting toward him and Hide, Kaneki shut his eyes tight as he tried to prepare for what would certainly be his certain demise. However, instead of getting impaled like how he had feared, the sound of clashing metal broke out instead. "... What the hell?" Rize muttered to herself as she saw a onyx-like barrier set between her kagune and her would-be prey. In an instant, a tall man dressed in a white suit and black mock-turtleneck leapt up to severe her kagune. All she was able to do was let out a gasp as the man's black barrier transformed back into a lance-like quinque which bore the marking off the legendary human himself, the CCG's Reaper. Before his feet even made contact with the floor, the man had impaled her through her forehead with the black quique before decapitating her with an electric-engulfed shorter quinque. Kaneki and Hide watched in absolute shock as the lifeless ghoul collapsed onto the floor. The man simply looked at the impaled head for a few seconds before sliding it off his weapon and on to the ground. Both Kaneki and Hide cringed at the loud sound of Rize's skull cracking as the investigator stomped down. As though it was nothing, the man turned around to face them.

"... Ghouls… They're real?!" Kaneki asked in a hushed but loud tone.

"Yeah, wow… Thanks man; you saved our lives." Hide thanked. Arima stared at the two for what seemed like forever before turning away to stare back at his latest kill.

"... You two don't mind helping me carry this to the trunk of my vehicle, do you?"

"Of course…" Kaneki whispered as he swallowed back the lump in his throat. Despite being disgusted to hold the very body of his potential-romance, Kaneki was willing to help the very hero who had saved him. "Thank you… If it hadn't been for you then… I don't even want to think."

"... I'll drop you two home… You two are in college I take it, and you're probably rather short on funds." The man stated..

"Hey man… After what we just saw, I don't think being broke is much of an issue for us anymore." Even being in the very situation that involved witnessing a death as well as a real-life ghoul, Hide still had managed to reply in a joking tone; which brought a small grin on the man's face.

"... We'll talk more in the vehicle."

 _ **I'm a college student who likes to read, like you could find anywhere. I'm not the protagonist of a novel or anything… but… if, for argument's sake, you were to write a story with me in the lead role… It would certainly be… Interesting.**_

* * *

 _Let me know what you think 3_


	2. Reluctant Hero

_**If it hasn't become apparent by now, this story is more lighthearted than the manga, but still, in future chapters, except there to still be tragedy. With that said, I want to thank you for the positive feedback, and want to let you know that I appropriate you reading this. You is smart. You is loyal. You're grateful. I appreciate that. Go buy your mama a house. Go buy your whole family houses. Put this story in a savings account. Go read this story for no reason.**_

* * *

 _ **In Kafka's most famous novel, the plot is about a young man who turns into an enormous insect. I read the story in 8th grade… And I can't exactly recall the details of it, but I do remember that during this time, I had tried getting Hide into reading, so we could form our own book club. Eventually, I made a breakthrough and had finally gotten to Hide to start reading, but not from the selection of novels that I had recommended…. No, in his younger days, Hide became fascinated with the superhero genre, and even had persuaded me into reading some of his comics… Which I myself had trouble getting into. I found it unbelievable that the main protagonist of his comics would always do good things just for the sake of being good. If it was me risking my life to save the day, I'd at least would want something out of it other than just someone's gratitude, but that would entirely erase the purpose of what it meant to be a hero I suppose. Maybe I wouldn't be cut out to be a superhero after all.**_

* * *

The rest of the drive seemed to pass by as the three of them sat in silence. Approaching their destination, the bright lights reflected from the nearby buildings shune in the night as they came near their destination. Angling his head just right, Kaneki caught glimpse of the three lit-up letters high above on the HQ that read 'CCG'. Taking a tunnel that led underground, Arima ordered both young men to stay put in the vehicle until further notice. From inside the vehicle, Kaneki and Hide watched two armored men marched toward Arima, who then in turn received a salute from both men. Had it not been for the thickness of the glass and armor of the vehicle itself, then perhaps the two best friends might have been able to eavesdrop on what the men outside were discussing amongst each other. When the armored men started to approach the back of the vehicle, Kaneki pulled Hide's wondering eyes away from the back window and shushed the curious young man to look forward. Holding his breath, Kaneki could feel the vehicle shake as the trunk slammed closed. Motioning for his shy friend that it was okay to look again, Hide pointed toward the two men carrying the Rize's body away before disappearing through a hallway. Due to the two men being too preoccupied with peeking through the side window, needless to say, when Arima opened the door, they both let out a yelp as they scrambled back to their seats. Looking back with in confusion, Arima was met with the incredibly forced smiles of the two young men. "You two can follow me now…"

* * *

After an extensive background check and filling out a stack of paperwork, Kaneki and Hide were allowed access inside. From there, Arima escorted the two to a room with three rows of tables and chairs lined up front and back to each other. Caught off guard by the sudden and synchronous squeaking of chairs, Kaneki jumped back with a yelp. Meanwhile, Hide was able to observe how everyone in the room stood erected with their backs straighten and their hands to their sides.

"Carry on." Arima spoke dismayingly as he waved his hand forward, to which then made everyone relax before taking their seats once more.

"What was that all about…?" Hide whispered to Arima.

"It's our way of showing respect to a superior."

"Must get old pretty fast." Arima neither agreed nor disagreed to Hide's statement, but rather just shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

From what Kaneki could tell, all the people sitting down in the classroom-like desks wore matching grey suits, while the important looking figures had on darker business suits in the front of the class, except for one, who wore a bright-pristine white formal wear. Standing at the podium was a an old man who looked to be in his late 60s. He seemed not to have any eyebrows and sported a bored looked that complimented his gruffy mustache and thin lazy eyes behind his glasses with oblong lenses. After taking it all in, it was then that Kaneki begun to realize that all eyes in the room were focused on him and Hide. "Have a seat over there." Arima ordered as he pointed a finger toward the far back-left side of the classroom. "I'll come and get you two when the brief is finished." With that said, Arima turned around to leave, but not before everyone stood up from their seats once more. When Arima left the room, it was then that everyone took their seats.

"As I was saying-"

"-I apologize Dr. Shiba, but may I have a moment to speak?" One of the important figures asked as he interrupted the older man. Dr. Shiba didn't bother turning his head at him, but rather just silently just shifted his eyes toward him for a moment before stepping down to exchange seats with him. "Thank you." Now that man was standing up, Kaneki and Hide were able to make out his features better. He was a slim middle-aged man with short black hair, and wore a rugged and abrasive look on his face. "You two," the man spoke as he pointed toward both Kaneki and Hide, "Stand up." The two friends exchanged confused looks with each other before awkwardly standing up from their seats. "Not only are you too both poorly dressed and not in uniform, but you have the odasity to show up late… How ballsy." The man muttered into the microphone before taking a deep breath in. "What are your names...?"

"Er… My name's Hideyoshi Nagachika."

"And… I'm Kaneki Ken, sir." Although they answered his question, they were both puzzled to see a look of disbelief on the man's face as his eyes shot wide open.

"You… Smartasses! When a senior investigator asks for your name, they expect to hear your rank and last name!" The man shouted as he slammed his fist on the desk of the podium. "I should have you two kicked out of this class and charged for insubordination and-"

"-Might I intervene, _Special Class_ Marude?" The man who had asked Murade appeared middle aged as well, and had wavy black hair with high cheekbones and a faded goatee. Wearing a white formal suit, Kaneki instantly assumed that he was perhaps a cut of a different cloth, or so to speak, and seeing Marude's reaction only furthered that notion.

"... Of course, sir." Marude replied in a low voice as he walked back to switch seats with man, but not before glaring at both Kaneki and Hide. With the man who had spoken up at the microphone, Kaneki begun to fear that he was the one who would be to deliver the verdict.

"Kaneki and Hide," the man addressed in a surprisingly gentle voice, "neither of you have any affiliations with the Commission of Counter Ghoul, do you?" Knowing that his friend wasn't the best of public speakers, Hide patted Kaneki on the shoulder before clearing his throat.

"Nope, we're just students who were came here with permission from Mr. Arima."

"I see. Considering that you're not apart of this organization, might you be able to elaborate on why you're here?"

"Sure… Well, he really didn't give too many details on the way here, but he said he would drop us off home after this." Now intrigued, the man held his chin as he raised an eyebrow at Hide.

"And would you be willing to tell me how you came to meet Arima?"

"Well…" It took a moment for Hide to think about how he would be able to put into words on what had happened, considering how it seemed almost like a blur to him. Not that it was as traumatic for him as it was for Kaneki, but still, it made him feel uncomfortable just thinking about it. "My bud here, Kaneki, never went on a date before in his life-"

"-Hide…!" Kaneki scolded in a hushed voice as he turned to face Hide.

"-and he was really scared to go alone, so he had me follow him to give tips on what he should and shouldn't do." Quiet chuckles and jeers begun to spread between other investigators, which only worsened the embarrassment the shy bookworm was feeling. "Anyway, yada yada yada, it turned out that he was on a date with a ghoul, and he would have been her dinner had it not been for Mr. Arima and I to rescue him." At this point, it became apparent to Kaneki that Hide had transformed the memory from being tragic, into one that amped his ego.

"Rescue?"

"Yeah, I warned Kaneki to get away, which distracted her and gave him time to escape, but he fell back on his ass instead."

"Hide…! Shut up, you idiot…!" Kaneki pleaded.

"So then like, she leapt down to take a bite out of him, but I wasn't gonna let that shit happen! So what did I do? I'll tell you what I did: I kicked that bitch in the face, like _BAM_!" Hide exclaimed as he swung his foot up to imitate a kick. No longer could Kaneki hold back the cringe he was feeling, so he resorted in covering his face within his hands as he quickly took a seat. "Then Arima came and did stuff, I guess. As it turned out, Mr. Arima and I didn't just kill any old ghoul, but it was the same one from the news!" Hide declared as he put on a smirk. "You might have known her as the "Eater", but the only thing she ate that night was the side of the curb." Commotion broke out between the investigators as they spoke amongst each other, but the gossip was cut short as Marude stood up to give a death stare at the lower-class investigators in the room, which quickly prompted them all to be quiet. Although it was clear to him that the young man loved to stroke his own ego and had a somewhat vulgar side to him, it amused him.

"I see… I now suppose I know why Arima brought the two of you here in the first place." The man mused. "Allow me to introduce myself to the both of you then. My name is Yoshitoki Washuu; I'm the Bureau Director of this Main Office. It is an honor to have two brave young men such as yourselves here. You may take your seat now, Hideyoshi." All too glad to hear those words, Kaneki grabbed Hide by his jacket before pulling him down to his seat. "Dr. Shiba, I thank you for your patience. Please, continue on with your presentation." Yoshitoki then walked over to exchange seats with old man. Dr. Shiba adjusted his glasses as he lowered the microphone back down.

"Yes, well, I suppose I should take a step back and give a short summary of what we already discussed." Dr. Shiba stated as he pointed a small remote toward the screen behind him to track back to a few slides earlier. "RC cells, or "Red Child" cells, are cells that flow through both human and ghouls' veins, and can be pictured as "liquid muscle". In ghouls, RC cells are stored in a predatory organ called kakuhou, which then forms a kagune, which is comprised of the RC cells released from their kakuhou that have pierced through their skin. These cells are nutrients that ghouls need to ingest in order to survive, thus why they eat humans and even each other from time to time." Although Hide seemed to be already bored with the presentation, Kaneki, though somewhat disturbed, found the information to be interesting.

"If only I had something to take notes on…" Kaneki whispered aloud. Suddenly, a hand to the left of him shifted over a small stack of papers as well as a pen in front of him. "Oh! I didn't actually expect anyone to be actually be listening to me… Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" The investigator replied back. The investigator was a slim, bronze-skinned young adult with dark green hair, and even had matching green eyes to compliment his hair. Kaneki had found himself wordlessly staring at him for longer than he should have; he was wearing men's' clothing, but something seemed different. The way he spoke and even his overall features seemed very feminine to Kaneki, but he quickly brushed it off and scolded himself for thinking such rude thoughts.

"... I don't want to sound creepy, but what's your name?" Despite having been asked the question in an awkward way, the young adult gave a gentle smile back to him.

"My name's Tooru Mutsuki; I'm a Rank 3 investigator, so I'm pretty new here myself." Tooru chuckled softly as he introduced himself. "... I don't want to sound intrusive, but was it scary? Seeing a ghoul in real life?" Kaneki at this point was beginning to become more at terms with what had happened, and was just thankful that he was alive. So he was able to return a smile back at Tooru.

"I was frightened, yes… but the worst part about the whole incident was when I realized that she only spent time with me so she could… well, so she could attack me." _'Perhaps I'm sharing too much… I just met this person, and I don't think-'_

"Oh my… That's right, you were on a date with her, weren't you?" Tooru asked with a concern look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset…"

' _... Wow, I sound like a charity case…_ ' Not wanting to give off the impression of a victim, Kaneki gave Tooru a reassuring and playful smile. "Don't worry, because… T-T-That don't kill me, can only make me stronger-"

"-I need you to hurry up now, cause I can't wait much longer." The two young adults stared silently at each other momentarily before both simultaneously snickering amongst each other.

* * *

"-And that ends my presentation, are there any questions?" Kaneki and Tooru's playful moment came to an halting end. With the time spent goofing around, Kaneki had lost track of time, and by the end of the briefing, it was only then that he noticed only a handful of investigators remained in the class.

"Hide," Kaneki whispered in quiet voice, "where did everyone go?"

"Wow… Here I thought I was the one who wasn't paying attention." Hide chuckled to himself before patting his friend on the back. "Kaneki my friend, the reason why there's only a few of us left, is because the rest were told that they were free to leave."

"Oh… Why's that?"

"Because the old guy said that the experiment or whatever would be voluntary, and those who were unsure about it were free to leave."

"Experiment…?" Kaneki asked.

"Yes, to become a Qunix," Tooru answered with a shy smile. "I'm sorry if I distracted you, I didn't mean to."

"Nah, you're cool dude; Kaneki likes to pretend that he's really sharp, but deep down, he's just as easily distracted as me, if not worse." Hide explained.

"So, what is a Qunix?" Kaneki questioned Tooru, but not before batting an evil eye at Hide.

"I wasn't really paying attention either to the slideshow to be honest," Tooru admitted, "but I was told that a Quinx is a human with a modified Quinque installed in their body… It's a weapon made fashioned from a ghoul's kagune… That's all I was told before coming here."

"Well, luckily for you two, I was paying attention." Hide smirked as he pointed a thumb to himself. "So basically, Qunix are like ghouls, but they don't eat people, because according to that old dude's explanation, the RC levels of a Qunix should be underneath 1000, which the minimal level of RC cells found in ghouls… Or at least that's what he theorized."

"... So what you're saying is that this hasn't been tested before?" Kaneki questioned with an uneasy look on his face.

"Yup."

"That explains why the brief was so short…" Kaneki muttered to himself. "Is it too late to back out…?" To Kaneki's surprise, Hide gave him a shocked and confused expression. Gripping the sides of the bookworm's arms, Hide shook Kaneki in an attempt to knock some sense into him.

"Back out?! What are you, crazy?!" Hide shouted, which made the remaining investigators and the doctor stare at his direction. "Kaneki Ken, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! The next time some ghoul or anyone wants to mess with us, we can beat their asses! We'll be heroes! Imagine it! You'll get girls like crazy! Plus, heh heh…" Hide chuckled as he a sly smirk formed on his face. "... Plus… With the cash we get from agreeing to do this, we can finally pay off our loans…

"-Hide! You can't just agree to- wait, what?" It took Kaneki a moment to process the last thing Hide had said, and in that moment when he finally registered what he had said, all fear and confusion became overshadowed by an unreal sensation of disbelief. "How much money did he say?"

* * *

 _ **I admit, if I had observed the situation from a third-point perspective, it would be easy for me to say that I was an idiot for signing the waiver that was passed around the class. Had it not been for the fact that the preparation was already set, and the surgery would be conducted immediately after, then perhaps I would have changed my mind. While we waited for our turn, Hide and Tooru took my mind off any reasonable concerns I should of had about what I agreed to. Before I knew it, Dr. Shiba had me lay down on my stomach and waited for the sedatives and painkillers to kick in before I went under the knife.**_

* * *

 _ **In the weeks that followed, we were hospitalized and tested on. The tests were painless though, and were mostly comprised of Dr. Shiba recording results from a monitor and simply just asking how we were. The exercises conducted differed depending on each person, and were based on what Quinque frames were implemented into our bodies. Ironically, Hide's Quinque frame was created from Rize's kakuhou. As for me, Dr. Shiba didn't exactly know who's kakuhou was used to create my Quinque frame, but he did tell me that the Quinque frame was considered to be a prototype, and that I should have considered myself lucky to be its first user. In the weeks up until our release from the hospital, I went back to living just like how I always had, other than my appetite increasing noticeably more than before.**_

* * *

Finished paying off his loans, Kaneki was more than delighted that he was able to pocket some of the money left over from the compensation he'd received from the CCG. Wearing light clothes such as his checkered hoodie and white slacks, he had decided to take in the beauty of afternoon by walking down the scenic route through the park. Not soon through his walk, he heard a jingle-sound coming from his side pocket. Opening up his phone, he looked down and read a text message from Hide with the subject reading 'Hooray for not being (as) poor! (^O^)'.

' _Let's go to Big Girl! Invite Tooru. I forgot his number. My treat._ '

"Big Girl!" Kaneki spoke aloud to himself as he held the phone to his face.

* * *

 _ **Big Girl was an American-Style restaurant. Hide and I loved their hamburgers more than thing… In addition, there were lot of cute girls on their staff… So whenever there was a special occasion, Hide and I would head over there. To us, it was like the promised land of Canaan in the old testament- our very own paradise… So after calling Tooru, I found out that he didn't even know where Big Girl was, or what they served, so I told him that I would wait for him at the park, and we would just walk there together.**_

* * *

After receiving a very flirtatious welcome from the staff, the three friends were seated inside the 50's decor-styled restaurant in a booth. Sitting across from Kaneki and Tooru, Hide had came dressed in a new name-brand black polo shirt. "You're already wasting your money?" Kaneki asked in a patronizing tone. "We just got paid a couple days ago, Hide."

"Kaneki, this isn't a waste; it's an investment!" Hide shot back with an over confident smirk. "This is a Ralph Lauren polo right here! I'm telling you Kaneki, it's not even going to be fair on how many girls I'm going to get with this." Hide said boastingly, to which Kaneki then gave him a sarcastic smile as he crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure even that waitress from the coffee shop won't be able to resist your charms now." Hearing this, Hide's face lit up in excitement as he revelation and hope flowed through his veins.

"Oh. My. God." Hide muttered to himself as he looked down for the first time to truly behold the beauty and power his polo really had. Just then, a temptress in a retro-styled apron approached their booth with a notepad and pen.

"Welcome to Big Girl! What can I start you off with today?" Kaneki and Tooru watched as Hide's smile faded into a frown as his eyes shot open wide. "... Sir?" Clenching his fist on the tabletop, Hide took a moment to collect himself before turning to look at the girl with black hair and thigh socks with a stern look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Miss. Ohashi…" Hide said apologetically in a low and serious tone. "We must keep this at a professional level, for my heart beats for another…" Hide declared in a melodramatic voice. Standing there with a confused look, the young woman looked toward Kaneki and Tooru for help.

"She's our waitress, Hide..." Tooru informed the egotistical young man in quiet and polite tone, "I think she just wants to know what we want to order."

"Oh." Hide spoke flatly. "Erm… I'll have a hamburger with a fried egg on top with a cup of water, or whatever..." It took a moment for the waitress to comprehend what she just had witnessed, and even as she wrote down his order, she continued to stare at Hide with a dumbfounded expression.

"... I'll have a big burger, ma'am, with a glass of water, please." Kaneki ordered as he tried his best to break the awkward tension of the situation.

"Um… Kaneki, I don't know what to get." Tooru admitted as he held the menu out in front of him.

"That's right, you never ate here, huh…?" More to himself than Tooru, Kaneki spoke quietly to himself as he looked through the menu as well. "Well, this place is pretty well known for hamburgers, other than that, they have other things if you don't like hamburgers."

"If you say the hamburgers here are what they're known for, then I guess I'll have the same thing as you then." Tooru said in conclusion to his order.

"Uh… I'll be back with your food." Wanting to get away from the group, Ohashi did a quick one-eighty turn away before taking a fast-paced walk into the kitchen. The three of them sat in silence before all falling into a fit of laughter.

"Oh wow, you guys are a riot!" Tooru snickered. "Are you two always like this?"

"Unfortunately!" Kaneki said with a laugh as he wiped a tear from his face. "Oh God, Hide, you freaking scared that poor waitress!" Hide showed off a confident smile before standing up to take a bow.

"Thank you, thank you; I knew that overpriced course in drama was so worth it!"

* * *

 _ **It wasn't long until the reluctant waitress came back with our food, and quickly ran back to the kitchen as Hide winked at her. I've always liked hamburgers, and the hamburgers at Big Girl were especially juicy and savory… But just staring at the food, I already could feel my mouth beginning to drool as the steam of the food entered through my nostrils. Wanting to make sure it wasn't just me acting weird, I looked up to see that I wasn't the only one enticed as greatly by the food. Almost somewhat scared on how much of an effect that a simple hamburger had over me, my hand trembled as I picked a piece of with my chopsticks. When I placed the chuck into the sauce and into my mouth, my eyes shot open wide as I chewed. I had always loved hamburgers, but never have I ever experienced such a divine taste in my mouth before. Almost in a primal urge, I dropped my chopsticks to switch over to a fork as I took another bite. Everything from the fried tofu, to the vegetables, and especially the hamburger became an explosion of taste that filled my mouth with pure ecstasy with each bite. No longer even having the patience to use a utensil, I begun to pick up my food with my hands to devour everything on the plate within minutes. After I had finished, I looked up to see Hide with sauce around his face and fingertips as he licked the side of plate, while Tooru sat with redden cheeks as he did his best to wipe the crumbs off of his white collared shirt. Needless to say, we left a good tip for Ohashi.**_

* * *

After they had finished eating, Hide left to go to his part-time job, which left Kaneki and Tooru with each other's company. It was still daylight outside, so Kaneki offered Tooru to go to the park with him. Although Tooru was smiling as they walked through on the bricked path, something felt off to Kaneki. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's just… I never ate something like that before." Tooru admitted.

"Yeah, I ate there before, but that hamburger was probably the best thing I've ever had in my life." Kaneki said with a chuckle, but when he looked at Tooru, he only saw concern on his face as his smile slowly turned into a frown.

"That's not what I meant…" Tooru sighed as he stuck his hands into his side pockets. "My parents, god rest their soul, taught me manners and proper dining antique, and I never had the urge to eat something that bad before… I don't know what I'd expect, I mean, we did turn into those things now: Qunix." He muttered bitterly. As Tooru came to a complete halt, Kaneki turned around to see him facing down at the ground. "I know it's too late to back on my decision but… I'm sorry, you must think poorly of me…"

* * *

 _ **I never was really good at giving affection. After all, I was usually the one that needed cheering up. Perhaps it was years of being influenced by Hide, but never had I ever felt the need to comfort someone who needed it as much as Tooru.**_

* * *

"I don't think that… I think you're pretty great." Kaneki reassured as he hugged Tooru. Surprised by the sudden affection, Tooru let out a small gasp of surprise. Sudden shock soon shifted subsided, and instead the softhearted actions of the bookworm became welcomed. Staring up into the clouds above, Tooru's vision became impaired through the gentle tears that silently ran down the side of his cheeks.

"...Kaneki." Tooru spoke out softly as he kept his focus up at the clouds. "Do you… Do you really see me as your friend…?"

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?"

"... I… I just wanted to make sure…" Tooru whispered as he let out a deep sigh of relief. "... I never had a friend before."

* * *

 _ **Hearing Tooru say that, made me recall the time when I had first met Hide. Hide had noticed me when I wasn't able to mix with others in class, and became my voice throughout our childhood. Seeing Tooru reminded me a lot of myself back then.**_

* * *

By the time it took for Kaneki to walk Tooru home and to get back to his own apartment, it was dark outside. Laying on his bed, Kaneki put his book to the side of his mattress as he tuned into the news. " _Due to the predatory ghoul incident that happened near the Takada building, people are unable to hide their unease at the thought that the city of Tokyo is being attacked. Today we have an expert from the Ghoul Research Division, Dr. Ogura, to give us more information."_

" _Ghouls, you know, do not need to consume a large number of meals a short time. They can survive perfectly well for a month or two on one dead body… But there are many ghouls who eat a number of people like this for mere pleasure. Make no mistake, these are nasty creatures. Now, it may be that the ghoul is afraid of the investigation department and is hiding itself. Normally, ghouls lead their lives among us in human shape."_

"Wish I knew that earlier…" Kaneki muttered to himself as he continued to watch the researcher give his expertise on live television.

" _Oh, I see… Can't ghouls be satisfied with ordinary food?_ "

" _... You're in that seat and yet you know nothing._ "

"I never realized how much of a jerk this guy really is… Wow."

" _Ghouls are unable to digest any nutrients of non-human origin. This is said to be the result of a particular enzyme they have._ _Furthermore, because the structure of their tongues is different from our own, food feels very uncomfortable for them. Salads tastes unripe, and meat and fish taste disgusting, it seems. In front of people they may be able to eat and endure it, but… After eating, they are stuck with a powerful urge to vomit."_

"Oh God… No wonder Rize was so messed up," Kaneki smirked to himself as he let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Clearly she never experienced the steamy and succulent taste of a Krabby Patty." ' _Thank goodness Hide didn't hear that… If he knew that I watched that dumb cartoon, he would teaste me so much for it…_ '

" _My Doctor, you looked like a ghoul yourself for a second._ "

" _I know more about ghouls than the ghouls themselves. Hahaha-_ "

"Shut up already..." Kaneki childishly muttered at the television before reaching over to the coffee table next to him to grab the remote. "Off you go!"

" _-hahahahahaha-_ "

"What." Dumfounded, Kaneki pressed the power button on the remote once more, but with no result. Trying again and again from different angles, Kaneki continued to tap repeatedly on the remote controller with the same fruitless results.

" _-hahahahohohohaHAHAA-_ " The sounds of Dr. Ogura's laughter only served to frustrate Kaneki. Quickly turning over the remote controller, Kaneki placed his finger on the sliding piece of the battery compartment. A loud cracking noise caused Kaneki to jumped back in his bed. Looking down, Kaneki felt his eye twitch from the sight of the lower part of his remote controller shattered into plastic and electronic scrap.

"What the…" Even his finger had snapped the both batteries in half, and just as he had suspected, the batteries were empty.

" _-WAHWAHAHWAH-_ "

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kaneki screamed as he rose to his feet on top of the mattress. Having had it with the man's obnoxious laughter, Kaneki grabbed what was left of his remote controller and chucked it at the television. What had happened next, to put it simply, was an expensive mess. Kaneki fell back on top of his mattress in horror as he watched what was once a remote controller pierce not only through the television, but clean through the wall. From the view he had on the bed, Kaneki stared in disbelief at the tunnel he had accidently created that ran through the wall and all the way through the entire building. Although the screaming and shouts of his neighbors were deafening, only one word ran through Kaneki's head.

* * *

 _ **Shit.**_

* * *

"Damn dude, that's impressive!" Hide complimented with a whistle. Sitting on his friend's living room couch, Kaneki sat with a devastated look on his face.

"No, it's not impressive, Hide! I'm homeless because of that now!" Kaneki argued back in a whiney voice. Letting out a groan, Kaneki pulled the blanket that Hide lended him over his head as he fell flat on his side. "This sucks…" Holding his chin, Hide stood silently as his best friend laid on the couch in defeat.

"Ya know… I read somewhere-"

"-You don't read."

"... Okay... I _HEARD_ somewhere that ghouls have enhanced strength, agility, and all sort of junk… And seeing how we're Quinx now or whatever… That would explain your strength, I guess." Despite the obvious fact that Hide was just assuming that, Kaneki had to hand it to him that at least answer made some sense. But laying in his own shame, Kaneki didn't care about what powers he had or didn't have; all that mattered to him was the fact that the apartment had spent months worth of pay on was no longer his.

"God damnit…"

"Geez Kaneki, you're not really acting like your old self right now…"

"So what? Are you going to kick me out?" Kaneki sassed back from within the confines of his fluffy fortress.

"No… I was going to say that maybe you should eat something." Hide suggested as he sat beside he curled-up friend. "I won't lie, I got pretty pissed off earlier when I stubbed my toe today… But then I ate a candy bar, and now I feel fine." Seeing his friend lying beside him quietly, Hide cautiously reached over to take a peek underneath the pink blanket, but jumped back in his seat as Kaneki tossed the blanket over him. "Where are you heading?" Hide asked from underneath the pinkness of the blanket.

"Not only do I need a moment… But turns out, I'm not me when I'm hungry." Kaneki said with a smirk. "I'm going to the corner store to get some candy, do you want anything?"

"Umm… Yeah, could you get me some chips?"

"Sure thing! I'll back… Keep the front door unlocked please."

* * *

 _ **The walk over to the corner store had me thinking a lot about what I had gotten myself into. Not just the whole being homeless fiasco, but what led me to having such power. Hide was right, it could only be the result of that experiment, but still, why then? Was it because I was angry? Did my emotions somehow have a link with this thing inside me…? Well, there wasn't a point in worrying about it now; I would just have to give Dr. Shiba a call in the morning to set up an appointment or whatever doctors like him do.**_

 _ **I felt sort of guilty only buying one bag of doritos for Hide, while I had bought myself an entire bag of funsized twix and snickers. Oh well, I would just have to share with him if he asked. But not my butterfinger; nobody better lay a finger on my butterfinger.**_

* * *

Wanting to get back to Hide's apartment so he could enjoy the rest of his night with his candy, Kaneki had decided to cut through an alley. Normally, he would feared what resided in the night, and especially within the weeks that had followed his encounter with Rize. However, he found himself free of any worries as he casually walked down the dark and enclosed area with a plastic bag full of treats inside. Flipping out his phone, Kaneki begun to text Hide that he was on his way back, but before he could send the message, the sounds of a old man whistling pervertly brought his attention away from his phone. "You're showing of a lot of leg."

"Hey-"

"Why don't you come with me?" Raising an eyebrow, Kaneki looked up from the screen of his phone to see a rather large old man with slicked back hair holding the wrist of a short-haired woman. "Let's have some fun."

"Wait…" Closing his phone to put it back in his pocket, Kaneki approached the two with a bothered expression. "Let go…"

* * *

 _ **That voice… Her face… That girl… She was the one Hide was talking to in the cafe… What was she in a place like this?**_

* * *

"Huh?" The old man murmured as he turned to face Kaneki. "What are you looking at?" Although he knew what he wanted to say, Kaneki felt himself at a lost of words as the man confronted him. "Hey, you… you! Hey! Hey! Don't ignore me… Don't..."

"Um… Could… Could you please leave her alone?" The man looked as though he was about to punch the younger male, but when he got closer, he let out a scream. "What?!" Kaneki yelped as he took a step back from the panicked man.

"What's with your eye? Disgusting!"

"Eye?... What are you talking about?" Kaneki muttered to himself quietly. Ignoring the man's ranting and screams the best he could, Kaneki reached into his pocket to pull out his cellphone. Using the screen as a mirror, Kaneki leaned in close to inspect his eyes. "Right eye checks out okay… As for my left eye-"

* * *

 _ **In my reflection, I could see what the man had been under duress about. Instead of being it's usual grey color, I was shocked myself to see what had become of my left eye. The sclera was white, but the iris was red. A wave of stress soon overtook me as I came to the conclusion that what I was seeing was surely a side effect of being a Quinx. Having different eye colors… Grey and red… Wasn't actually as bad I first thought. The more and more I looked at my reflection, the more I felt a smile spread across my face as I admired my new look.**_

* * *

"Hey… That's pretty good!" Kaneki chuckled to himself as he felt his wave of stress wash away. "I gotta take a pic of this!"

"Get outta here! YOU MONSTER!" The old man screamed at him from the top of his lungs.

"Fine, geez… But first… Let me take a selfie." Kaneki declared in a high pitch voice as he raised his phone in the air with the camera pointed on him. As Kaneki adjusted the angle of the shot, he couldn't help but notice two red lights emitting from behind the old man. In a flash, Kaneki quickly took the picture before dropping the cellphone as he spun around.

"Wh-What…?" With his heart beating against his chest, the old man took heavy breaths. His eyes slowly shifted to left to see Kaneki's arm outstretched and holding the wrist of the very young woman who he had tried scoring with. When he caught glimpse of her black and red eyes, the old man let out another scream as he fell forward on the ground. Kaneki then turned to face the old man with a stern expression.

"... It would be in your best interest to "get outta here" yourself..." Having seen more than enough of his fair share of midnight horror, the old man stood clumsily up to feet before scrambling away from the two young adults.

"Monsters... You're all monsters! MONSTERS!" His screams faded away as he retreated, and soon his cries became out of earshot.

* * *

 _ **As much as I wanted the old man to get what he deserved, I couldn't bring myself to stand by while he was murdered. Besides, even in his old age, perhaps he would grow to be wiser from this encounter, and learn not to go around in the dark with such perverted interest in mind. Now that I was so standing so close to the girl, I got a better look at her face. There was no denying it, it was the very same girl that Hide had talked to, and she was a ghoul nonetheless. I felt a wave of dismay pass over me as I pictured how things would have ended if she did agree to go on a date with Hide.**_

* * *

"You… Why weren't you eaten?" In a sudden transformation of emotions, Touka's rage disappeared as she got a better look at his face. "Eh… So Rize… But… Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the guy whose selfie you ruined... Also, you might know me better as Hide's friend."

"... Hide?" Touka repeated back aloud as the name rung off her tongue. It didn't take long before the image of the egotistical young man's goofy grin popped into her head. "Oh… Oh. Him." She muttered with an unimpressed facial expression. "... Let go."

"Oh… Yeah, sorry about that." Kaneki apologized as he released her wrist. "I know little about ghouls, forgive me if I'm incorrect but… I hope you're not too upset about me rescuing that perverted old man; I can give you a snickers if you want." As much as she wanted to punch him in the face, Touka decided against it for the time being, and instead took a step back to take a deep breath in.

"... It's fine, I'm not even really hungry to be honest. Besides, old man meat's gross, right?"

"I wouldn't know; I never had an old man's meat in my mouth." Kaneki jokingly shot back, which earned him a slap across the face. "Sorry… I deserved that."

"You're goddamn right you did." Giving his cheek a quick rub, Kaneki squated down to pick up his phone, and flipped it opened to finish what he had started texting.

"And… Sent." Putting his phone back in his pocket, the two stood there silently in the alley for quite some time before one of them mustered enough courage to speak up. "So, uh… I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, sure… Cya then, I guess." With those awkward words exchanged, the two parted ways and carried on to do their own separate agendas.

* * *

 _ **I wasn't sure what I did really counted as me doing anything heroic. In reality, I just didn't want see an old man die next to me. But even so, as I made my way to Hide's apartment, I couldn't but feel proud of myself; which I wasn't sure was a good thing or not. It wasn't like I saved a saint or anything, but I'd like to think that my actions made a difference in the old man's life. Then again, as the common saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Who knows, in a week or so, he may disregard what happened and try the same trick with some different girl. I may not be a superhero, but I'd like to think of myself as a pretty nice guy who likes helping others; and that was good enough for me. But for now, I would be able to rest easy for the remainder of the night with Hide and my bags of candy.**_

* * *

 ** _I really wanted a snickers by the end of this chapter._**


	3. Young Hearts

**Sorry for the late update, it usually takes me like five tries before I'm satisfied with a chapter. Plus, my new working schedule sucks. Anyways, let me know what you guys think and if you have any input, I'm all eyes. Not ears, because I can't hear written words.**

* * *

 _ **When I returned later that night, Hide and I prepared some popcorn to serve as the main course to compliment our snacks as we watched a movie to end the night. Being as tired as I was, I wasn't exactly paying attention to the movie much. Rather, my main objective was to eat candy until fell asleep, which was a successful mission might I add. However, I do suppose that was probably one of the main reasons why my dream was so strange.**_

 _ **In my dream, I was surrounded by grass as healthy and pristine as one could imagine; above me were white-puffy clouds that seemed painted across the blue and sunny afternoon sky. Behind me, stood a white house, one that I've never seen before. When I had woken up, I had found it odd that I was able to recall the dream in detail.**_

* * *

 _The sudden glare from sun made Kaneki squint and raise his arm to block the incoming light from getting into this eyes. It wasn't long until his eyes adapted to the brightness, and soon enough Kaneki was able to see clearly. Surrounded by a stone fence, Kaneki came to the conclusion that he must have been in back yard. As much as Kaneki felt the need to become panicked, the bright and warm sunlight shining above mixed in with gentle breeze and perfected afternoon ambience made it impossible for him to feel anything but serene. However, the only complaint that remained consistent to him was how he had no clothes on; but even so, he felt no embarrassment, but rather experienced an odd sensation of being free. Taking a deep breath in, Kaneki exhaled slowly as he turned around to see a slender man with short dark blue hair dressed in a white collared shirt and black slacks. Having his back to him, Kaneki couldn't exactly make out his facial features. Looking down at the blue empty hamper next to him, Kaneki had realized that the man was just taking his dried clothes off the clothes-line; nothing out of the ordinary, considering everything else around him. "Uh… Excuse me, sir?" Kaneki called out as he kept his distance from the man; after all, he wasn't sure how the man would react from seeing a naked eighteen year old on his property. Still folding a shirt in his hand, the man turned around with a gentle expression on his face as he smiled at Kaneki._

 _"Greetings, how can I…" Though the man still had a calm demeanor to him, his smile lessened into a small frown the further he looked down Kaneki's body. "Oh dear… Are you in need of some clothes?"_

 _"If you could spare a pair, that would be much appreciated, sir."_

 _"Of course," the man said as he took as step back from the clothes-line. "Here, freshly dried."_

 _"Thank you, sir." Kaneki smiled as he went over next to the man. Picking out a white t-shirt, boxers, and some black shorts, the young adult was eager to put them on. "There we go… Thank you again, sir!"_

 _"So formal and polite." The man chuckled. "My name's Arata, and please, feel free and make yourself at home." Arata greeted as offered to shake Kaneki's hand, who was more than happy to return the gesture._

 _"Thank you, Arata! My name's Kaneki, and I'm sorry about popping in so unexpectedly… literally, I don't know how I got here."_

 _"Huh…. That is a bit of an oddity, isn't it?" Arata said in agreeance. "Well, since you are here, would like to come inside for coffee? My wife and I've been creating our own brew, and it would be great to have a third opinion on its process so far!"_

 _"You and your wife are creating coffee from scratch? Wow, that sounds hard."_

 _"Well, my wife and I find time to work on it. To be honest, it's more like she grows it, and I harvest and brew… Huh, would you looked at that..." Arata spoke softly as he looked up. "I'll guess we'll have to wait until next time for that cup, huh…?" Gradually, the sky begun to grow brighter and brighter, just as it had when Kaneki first found himself in Arata's back yard. "I'll see you next time Kaneki, and remember: you're always welcomed back here!…_ _Oh, and if you see my kids, tell them mom and dad said hi."_

* * *

"That's… Pretty weird." Hide frowned as he put down his cup of coffee. "Although, to be fair, you've told me weirder stuff before." Almost choking on his coffee, Kaneki lowered his cup in mid-sip to look at Hide with an irritated glare.

"What's that supposed to mean...?" He asked in a low voice.

"Hey man, I'm not trying to be disrespectful or anything, but you tend to have a very active imagination." Hide replied with his hands held up to his shoulders. "I'm just saying that all the times before that you did decide to share your dreams with me, they tend to be weird like those books you read." Kaneki stared silently at Hide before slowly finishing his sip.

"... At least I don't share my wet dreams." Hearing this, Hide's eyes shot open as he quickly looked around the cafe in fear that someone had overheard Kaneki.

"Idiot, don't say that here…!" Hide shushed before giving one last look around him; more importantly, he wanted to make sure _she_ wasn't around. "I don't want to Touka to get scared like last time…"

"Who's Touka?" Although Tooru's question was innocent enough, to Hide, it was as though it was morbid subject to speak her name aloud. Quickly, Hide clamped his hand over Tooru's mouth as he brought his finger up to his lips.

"Shhh…!" Hide shushed. As soon as Hide's hand moved away from his mouth, Tooru immediately wiped around his face to remove the sweat that had gotten on his face from the young man's clammy hand.

"She's one of the waitresses here." Kaneki explained. "Last time we were here, Hide tried asking if she had a boyfriend, but she ran away."

"Ya know, she didn't _JUST_ run away." Hide emphasized as he gave Tooru a confident smile. "She did say she didn't have one."

"It shouldn't matter, Hide." Kaneki said sternly as he shook his head. "I told you what she was, and unless you want this to be a repeat of Rize, you shouldn't try anything funny with her." Brushing off his friend's concern with a shrug, Hide placed his feet on the table as he laid back in his chair.

"Man Kaneki, you gotta learn to let things go." Hide smirked as he pointed a finger at him. "I mean, you can't let one sour date ruin your perspective of _ALL_ women! Isn't that right, Tooru?" When asked, the shy young adult rose the cup up to his mouth.

"I guess…" Tooru replied. "I've never been on a date before, so I can't really say." Hide gave a look of slight dejection at the news. However, a sudden thought begun to grind the gears in his head as he turned his attention to Kaneki momentarily before switching back to Tooru. In a moment of astonishment and eureka, Hide snapped his fingers as he sat back up.

"I got it!" Hide declared as he stood up to point directly at Kaneki in a very theatrical manner. "Kaneki, since you're pretty new to the dating game yourself, why don't you take Tooru around to meet some hot babes?" As soon as Hide had said this, Tooru frowned.

"No thank you, Hide…" Tooru declined politely.

"Okay… Then why not let Kaneki take you out on a date?" While the young man in question batted an eyebrow at Hide, Tooru meanwhile had been taking a gulp from his cup when he had heard that. In an instant, Tooru's eyes widened as he begun to cough up some of his coffee. Covering his mouth, Tooru stood up before rushing over to the bathroom.

"... Was it something I said?"

"Yes Hide, it was." Kaneki sighed as he placed his cup down on his plate.

"You're shy too though, so why didn't you react?"

"Because I'm used to your crazy ideas..." Kaneki retorted, but when he did, he instantly earned a look of surprise from Hide. "What?"

"Kaneki! I'm disappointed in you…"

"What?! Why?!"

"I expected more from you." Hide said with a pouty face. "And to think, you said you were Tooru's friend…"

"I am!"

"Then why are you being so selfish?" Hearing this, Kaneki's jaw dropped in shock at hearing Hide's accusation.

"What the… Idiot! It's not like that!" Kaneki shot back. "I just don't want to go on another date right now, okay?"

"And what about Tooru?" Kaneki opened his mouth to objectify once more, but paused as he took notice Hide's wandering eyes quickly switching back to him. Silently, Kaneki slowly turned to look of his shoulders. There he had found what Hide had been staring at from time to time. Behind him, the same waitress from the night before was busy attending to an older couple, and Kaneki could only imagine how long that had been going on for. When he turned back to face Hide, Kaneki was met with a guilty look as his friend purposefully tried to look busy on his phone.

"Are you serious right now…?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Feeling the sudden urge to hold his chin, Hide knew that he had been caught. Sighing in defeat, he put his phone back into his pocket before looking up to be greeted with a patronizing stare. If he had to compare the look Kaneki was giving him, it would be like how a mother would look at her child after they had done something naughty. "Okay fine, you got me!" Hide spoke loudly as he raised his hands up in the air before letting them fall limp to his sides. "I was going to ask her out, okay? I wanted you and Tooru to leave so you wouldn't worry about me."

"Worry about it? Of course I would worry about you, Hide! Can't you just find some other girl to chase after?"

"Chase after some other girl? Really? Is that how you see me…? Because you'd be right if you did." Hide said with a playful jeer. "But nah man, I think we really could have something going between us."

"Hide…"

"Okay, okay, how about this?" Hide gestured as he put his hands out in front of him. "If I ask her out, and by chance she says yes, then I promise that we'll only be in a populated and well-lit place, like I swear I'll end the date before it gets too late, okay?" Begging at this point, Hide put his hands together as he stared at Kaneki with pleading eyes. "Come on man, I have powers and stuff now, I'll be able to take care of myself! Pleeeeassseeeeee?"

"I… I mean, I guess you're your own person, so I don't know why you're asking me for permission…" Kaneki chuckled uneasily as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I guess if you do all of that, _PLUS_ text me every so often to let me know you're okay... I suppose I'll be able to rest easier." As a teen would act after having given permission to go to prom, Hide let out a squeal of joy as he leaned over the table to hug Kaneki in a tight embrace.

"Thanks bro! Now… Just sit there and watch a master at work, my boy!" Standing back up, Hide patted Kaneki on the shoulder as he made his way past the crowds of tables and up to the waitress. It didn't take long for Touka to spot the grinning young man, and as soon as she did, she felt the bitter return of irritation fleeting back to her. "Good afternoon, Touka." Hide greeted.

"What do you want?" Touka replied sharply. "I don't really have time for any of your antics right now, I have customers."

"Then allow me to skip the formalities then." Hide grinned as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Ms. Kirishima, would you like to catch a movie with me?"

"Like I said… I have customers and-"

"Ms. Kirishima," said the voice of an elderly man. "You really do need to stop working yourself so hard."

"Boss…" Touka addressed respectfully as she turned to face the old man with swept-back white hair beside her. He was tall and stood up with his head held high and looked at his employee through squinted eyes. "I can't go, we're busy right now."

"Don't be silly, it's a bit slow at the moment." He said in a gentle voice. "I apologize if she's a bit hostile, Mr…?"

"Oh… I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika, but everyone just calls me Hide." He smiled as he held his hand out.

"Ah, how refreshing! Not many young men nowadays know the importance of a good handshake, Hide!" The manager mused as he firmly shook the young man's hand. "I'm Yoshimura, I'm the manager of the Anteiku cafe." He introduced himself before they parted hands. "Pardon me, but I couldn't help but overhear what you two were talking about… So, you're interested in taking Ms. Kirishima out for a night around town, correct?"

"Yes sir!"

"I see…" Yoshimura spoke aloud. "Well then, I don't see a reason why you two shouldn't be able to go right now."

"Now?! Like, right now?!" Touka blurted out suddenly.

"Of course! I'm sure Ms. Irimi wouldn't mind covering your tables for the rest of the day." Yoshimura smiled generously as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "You should go out and have fun. Even you need that in your life." Just as Touka opened her mouth to object, a quick and menacing glare from Yoshimura persuaded her otherwise.

"That sounds great and all, but…" Looking away from the older man, Hide turned to give a humble and reassuring smile toward Touka. "If you don't wanna go, you don't have to." Somewhat surprised at the sudden display of maturity, Touka found herself feeling relieved instead of her previous state of anger. However, relief soon gave way for a pity for Hide as she continued to stare blankly at his welcoming smile.

"I guess if I have the rest of the day off, then… I guess we can watch a movie or something." Touka said with a forced smile.

"That sounds great! What time do you wanna go?"

"I'll have to look at movie times… Er, actually… I'll just give you my number so we decide on one later." Back at the table, Kaneki watched as the two exchanged phone numbers. Infact, he had been so impressed at the sight, that it wasn't until the squeaking of the chair beside him did he realize Tooru had returned from the bathroom.

"I'm sorry about that," He apologized with a sheepish smile as he took his seat beside the bookworm. "Must have accidently went down the wrong tube."

"That's okay." Kaneki assured with a smile before catching a glimpse up. Standing in the doorway out of the cafe, Hide flashed a cocky grin before leaving.

"Did Hide leave when while I was in the bathroom?"

"You just missed him." Kaneki replied as he pointed at the front window. Looking out, Tooru watched as Hide took a march of pride down the sidewalk and out of view.

"What's gotten into him?" Tooru questioned with a blank expression.

"The reason why he's so happy is because he managed to convinced Ms. Kirishima into going on a date with him."

"You mean that waitress you ran into yesterday?!" He gasped before covering his mouth. "Kaneki, doesn't he know that she's… You know…"

"That's what I said!" Kaneki agreed with exaggeration. "But even so, he said he's willing to take the chance…" Worried, even more so than he was, Tooru look around anxiously as he started to bite at the tips of his nails.

"Kaneki… You should tell her something."

"Um… What should I say?" Starting to feel nervous himself now, Kaneki couldn't help but wonder where the confidence he had the other night had gone.

"I don't know… You're pretty strong right…? Just let her know that you'll be upset if she hurts Hide or something…" It became obvious between the two that neither of them really wanted to approach the waitress, who had by now gone upstairs. "Oh goodness, don't say that; it sounds too much like a threat…"

"Try not to worry about it too much Tooru… I'm sure if she knows Hide's friends with me, then it's a fair assumption to make that she's aware that we know about her." Kaneki reasoned in the most optimistic way he could.

"I… I suppose that makes sense… So… What do you want to do now?"

"Actually…" Kaneki muttered as his face lightened up. Reaching into his messenger bag, he pulled out his copy of 'The Black Goat's Egg' and place it on the table in between them. "I was planning on going to Takatsuki Sen's book signing today. Would you like to come with me?" Looking down at the cover of the book, Tooru felt uneasy, but when he looked back up to see the cheerfulness and excitement in Kaneki's eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

"That sounds… fun."

* * *

 _ **Ever since Takatsuki had released the news that an event would be held for the fans to be able to meet him and get their books signed, I had found myself anticipating for the day.**_

* * *

After they had paid for their drinks, Kaneki and Tooru took a taxi to where the event was being held downtown. During the ride over, Kaneki couldn't help but notice Tooru avoiding eye contact as well having to speak with the taxi driver during the trip there. Instead, Tooru found himself staying relatively close to Kaneki, even after they had been dropped off. With his book in hand, and with Tooru practically in the other, Kaneki made haste toward the entrance of event. The cold metal of the door handle only further exhilarated the bookwork as prepared himself to see his favorite novelist. However, as soon as he tugged on the handle of the door, it soon became evident to him that he had missed the event. Tooru felt confused to see Kaneki frozen to the spot he stood as minutes begun to pass by. Beginning to grow impatient as well as concerned, Tooru tapped him on the shoulder, and was met with a loud sigh, "Of course, it's over…" Kaneki mumbled to himself as he turned around to face Tooru.

"Sorry that we couldn't have gotten here sooner." Tooru apologized.

"Don't be; it's not your fault after all." Kaneki reasoned with a smile. "Well… What now?"

"Ummm… I dunno." Tooru shrugged. "How about we go read?"

"Tooru, you don't have to pick somewhere for my sake" Kaneki reassured, but was met with a puzzled look from Tooru. Shaking his head, Tooru pointed toward the closed doors that held the book signing of Kaneki's favorite author with a frown.

"Oh no, I love reading myself; I just think Takatsuki's work isn't enjoyable is all."

"Then why'd you come with me in the first place?"

"I only came because you wanted me to go." Tooru admitted with a bashful smile. Mixed feelings emitted inside Kaneki as he stood dumbfounded. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he composed himself enough in order to once again speak to the other young adult.

"Thank you, Tooru." Kaneki said in a low voice as he looked down at the novel he held in his hand.

"You're welcome!" He replied with a chipper voice. "Hey, since you're already in the CCG's records, I'm pretty sure I can escort you into the recreational area."

"CCG has a recreational area?"

"Of course! You can't have investigators working hard without a little fun in their life, you know?" Tooru replied with an eager look on his face. "Because we're a bit far from Chiyoda, I'll call a taxi to pick us up." While Tooru begun to dial in for public means of transportation, Kaneki continued to stare blankly at the 'Black Goat's Egg'.

Standing on one foot, Hide leaned his back against the brick wall in the back-alley entrance of his favorite cafe, Anteiku. Having agreed to meet past noon, Hide had allotted himself enough time to dress to impress. "Overpriced black polo… You haven't failed me before, so I have the utmost faith in you." Hide quietly assured the polo he wore as he patted his chest.

"Do you usually talk to your clothes?" Touka asked with a chuckle. Already, Hide had found that his own hubris had already cost him some self-respect, even before the date had officially started. However, Hide was far from a novice at dating, and quickly came up with a way to smoothly recover from Touka's comment.

"You don't?" From the look on Touka's face, Hide wasn't quite sure if his attempt had been successful or not, but whether or not it worked was up to debate in his mind.

"I can't say that I do." Touka replied flatly. Putting her hands in her blue sports jacket, she sighed. "... What did your friend tell you? You know, the scrawny-nerdy looking one."

"Who, Kaneki?" Hide asked back as he giggled at the choice of words she had used to describe his best friend. Despite her trying to be serious, Touka found herself fighting off the ure to smirk as she watched Hide trying to hold back his own laughter. "But yeah, he told me what you are already."

"What words did he use? Did he call me a freak; what about monster? How about evil…? Did he tell you what I really am…?" She whispered as she found herself glaring at the goofy young man, who had this point was still smiling. "Is this funny to you?"

"No, it's not that." Hide reassured. Taking his back off the wall, Hide interlocked his fingers behind his head as he took a few steps away from the door to look off into the sky. "No, I don't recall him saying anything like that, but yes, he told me that you're someone with a particular taste-pallet."

"... Then why are you talking to me then?"

"Same reason why most guys ask girls on dates, I suppose." Hide said with a shrug.

"Whatever…" No longer wanting to discuss the matter any further in fear that someone would overhear, Touka decided to end the conversation relevating on her being a ghoul. "Okay, so are you the kind of guy to buy snacks at movie theater, or are you someone who goes to the corner store to get snacks before?"

"Neither." Hide replied back as he turned to face her. "I'm not really someone who eats at the movies… Plus, considering that you're on a pretty strict diet, I don't think you'd appreciate someone munching on snacks beside you."

"How thoughtful." Touka said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "Trust me Hide, if you want to be a fat kid at the movie theaters, I won't hold it against you." Relived, Hide let out a deep breath before holding his stomach.

"Oh thank god, I actually haven't eaten for like, four hours, and I'm dying over here."

* * *

"So, you go to school?" Hide asked. Deciding to walk over the movie theater, the two had started out in awkward silence, with the only sounds exchanged between the two consisting of Hide's short observations and her occasionally muttering. However, the more and more Hide spoke, the more Touka found herself answering each topic in more detail as time continued to pass.

"I'm a sophomore over at Kiyomi."

"Kiyomi? You mean Kiyomi High School, right?" Hide asked casually in order to mask the surprise in his voice.

"Yep."

"Wow, Kaneki and I haven't been there since last year." Hide mused.

"Last year? Did you transfer schools or something?"

"Oh no, we graduated." Hearing this caught Touka off guard, and soon Hide found himself being glared at by the right-side of her face. "What?"

"You're not actually some old creep who just looks young, right?" Touka asked suspiciously. "Because if you are…" Her threat soon trailed off as she noticed the amusement in Hide's smile as he shook his head.

"Why? Do you think I can pass for twenty one?" Hide snickered. "No, I'm not some old dude; I'm eighteen years old… I know you're not suppose to ask a lady about her age, but… How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

"And you're still a sophomore?"

"Hey, shut up!" Touka shouted, but only to see the same amused response from Hide. "I started school sort of late… Funny thing actually; I didn't really want to go back to school at first to be honest." Sensing the genuine tone in her voice, Hide had decided to cut the playful act as he soon found himself focused in on what she had to say. "Don't get me wrong, my parents were very good people, and raised my brother and I in a loving home and all… But shit happens, you know?" She sighed- bringing the once-playful banter to halting-melancholy silence as the two continued on walking. Fortunately, their small talk had made time seemingly gone by faster. It wasn't longer after their conversation had ended did the large glowing sign of the movie theater come into view.

* * *

 _ **Just as Tooru had assumed, the second timing entering the CCG headquarters was far less tedious than the first time, and all I had to do was sign into a visitor log and list him as my escort. The recreational area had been far larger than I'd first pictured it to be, and I couldn't help but feel impressed greatly on how generous the CCG treated their employees. Enclosed rooms with recliners for watching movies, arcade machines, snack bar and grill, and even had major chain restaurants inside. However, save for the food vendors, I couldn't say that the other attractions excited me very much. No, I was more interested in what Tooru had brought me to see.**_

* * *

In and more private and recluse area, far from the hustle and laughter that came from the arcade and drunken patrons of the bar were wooden shelves filled with books against tan walls that matched the white ceiling and beige-victorian carpet. The reading area was consisted of several rooms comprised of variant decor that was designed to appease most avid-book enthusiasts. From a modern room fitted with leather furniture and a fireplace, to one room with a more hip-coffee shop atmosphere to it, all the way down to a simple wooden table with several seats in the same room; the area immediately had a positive effect on the shy bookworm as he took in the aroma of the newly-bought books with a deep inhale. "This is amazing…" Kaneki whispered in awe as he fell back on a leather couch.

"I knew you'd like it." Tooru replied as he plopped down beside him.

"There's quite a selection here, I don't even know where to begin!"

"The books here are supposed to be labeled alphabetically, but usually people just stuff whatever they finished reading into anywhere that fits." Tooru explained as he pointed over toward a random shelf. "Perfect example: since when does Harry Potter get put beside 50 Shades of Grey?"

"Oh wow." Kaneki snickered lightly. It might have been an inappropriate thought, but Kaneki couldn't help but picture Harry Potter characters committing acts that involved domination. ' _Hermione, I want you to ride my- nevermind._ ' Kaneki frowned as he quickly dismissed that thought after realizing that the book Tooru had pointed to was the first in its saga. "Since you already know what kind of books I like, why not show me your favorite book here?"

"Oh goodness, that's a hard choice." Tooru commented as he tapped his fingers against his lap. "Uh… Well, there is one book that has a special place in my heart… Wait here please." Tooru politely instructed as he got up to leave to another room. It wasn't long until he came rushing back with a small book in his hands as he hopped back on the couch. Leaning his neck down to get a better look at the bright white cover, Kaneki read the title of the book with an puzzled look. The title simply read 'The White Unicorn'.

"Is your favorite genre fantasy?"

"It is, but that's just one of the reasons why I love this book so much." Tooru replied as he opened to the first page. Above the large-gothic font of the first paragraph, stood a grim tale-styled artwork of a young princess, which brought a smile to Tooru. "When I was a kid, I used to read this before bed."

"A childhood favorite, huh? What's it about?"

"It's a story about a kingdom long ago, a heaven-on-earth if you will. The kingdom was near a mystical and vast forest that was imposing for its beauty and what creature roamed its woods."

"Was it a unicorn?"

"Lucky guess." Tooru giggled softly as he placed his finger over the illustration. "On the day that the rumor of the late unicorn sightings escalated around the kingdom, all the men grabbed their knives and spears to prepare to harvest it for its horn. While all that going on, the king's daughter, an unnamed princess, had decided to venture out to the forest with the desire to pick some fresh flowers. However, the girl had lost track of time, and soon found herself in a dark and vile place deep in the woods… The darkness surrounded her as branches from the dead trees begun to drag her deeper into the darken woods… But that's when the Unicorn came to save her, and brought her away from the darken woods, and back to her castle. When they arrived, all the men wanted to slaughter the unicorn, but because the princess pleaded for the safety of the unicorn to her father, who later that night declared unicorns to be sacred, the unicorn escaped and returned to the forest. Never to be seen by the villagers ever again."

"Does the princess ever meet the unicorn after that?"

"According to the ending, it implies that she does, but that it's for a different story… I know it's nothing inventive or groundbreaking, but I always like reading this book; especially after I had a hard day… Oh god, I just spoiled the entire book for you, didn't I?"

"Sort of, yeah." Kaneki admitted. "That's okay though, it doesn't look too long, so I'll just give it a quick read through." Reaching for the book, Kaneki held the novel by the sides to bring it closer to read. However, as he pulled back on it, he had found that Tooru refused to hand the book over just yet. "Er… Can you let go please?"

"Oh… Yes, sorry." He apologized as he let go of the novel. "... Kaneki?"

"Yes?" Looking up, Kaneki could see Tooru blushing lightly with a bashful smile as he looked back at him with his emerald green eyes.

"I know this is going to sound weird, but… Could you read it aloud for me?" Just as Tooru had warned, Kaneki found his request to be an odd one at that. However, Kaneki couldn't bring himself to say no to the look that Tooru was giving him.

* * *

 _ **What else could I have said? No? Seeing how kind Tooru had been to me ever since we met, I felt myself obliged to abide to his request- unusual as it may be. Just as I had suspected, the story was short, and was obviously aimed more toward children as a bedtime story, but nonetheless, I still enjoyed it. By the time I had finished, it was then that I noticed that Tooru had fallen asleep on my shoulder. Looking outside the window, I also realized that it was getting late, which would have explained why I was beginning to feel tired as well. Careful not to wake up Tooru, I slowly reached into my pocket to take out my cellphone. I almost begun to worry for Hide's lack of texts, but when I looked on the display of the screen, I felt relieved to see several notifications for unread messages left by Hide pop up. I must have accidently put my phone on silent. I considered waking Tooru up so we could go home, but I was really comfortable where I was, and considering that the sign had said that the recreational area was 24/7, I decided to text Hide that I would be back late.**_

* * *

The movie was nothing more than some cheesy action movie with stereotypical themes and characters featured in it, just how Hide liked. Despite Touka's initial off-putting and somewhat-reclusive attitude, Hide had caught glimpses here and there where her eyes would light up with excitement during the scenes with action. During the walk back, Hide and Touka had found it much easier to be relaxed around each other's presence, and begun to discuss various topics in their lives as they made their way to Anteiku. Before saying their goodbyes to each other, Touka told Hide that she had enjoyed herself, and even suggested that they should hangout. Once she was inside, Hide marched victoriously down the sidewalk; making his way downtown, walking fast, faces pass, and almost homebound. Midway to his apartment, Hide had decided to stop by the convenient store first, and made a detour from his usual route. Remembering that Kaneki would be staying with him for the time being, Hide took into consideration of his best friend's love for coffee, and feeling rather generous in his high spirits, he had decided to pick up some coffee and a bag of chocolates in order to welcome Kaneki with a surprising gift. Although Hide himself enjoyed drinking coffee, he only owned a basic coffee brewer. While he was satisfied with buying the cheap stuff for himself, he had trouble deciding from the limited selection the store had. ' _Which one is the best, I wonder…_ ' Hide thought to himself as his eyes scanned across the small aisle of instant blends. Having finally decided on a brand due to it's container looking like peanut butter jar, Hide reached his out to grab one. ' _Well, for now 'll buy this one and see how ol' Kaneki likes it…_ ' However, another hand had already reached out for it, causing Hide to retract his reach in an instant. "Oh, sorry…" Turning to look at the slim young man beside him, Hide soon recognized him by his glasses and messy hazelnut hair. "Nishiki...?"

"Nagachika, I didn't expect you to see you." Nishiki mused with a frown as he snatched the coffee jar into his hand. "I never do…" He muttered in an almost-annoyed tone of voice.

"So Blondie coffee: is it good for an instant coffee brand, or not really?"

"I wouldn't be buying it if it wasn't..." Nishiki said with a quiet groan.

"Oh cool, thanks."

"No problem…"

* * *

After paying for the items, Hide begun to venture out through the back alleyways to get back home. Hearing a ring from his cell phone, he pulled the device out from his pocket with one hand as he read the text message with the subject that read 'I'm tired lol'. "... CCG has one of those? Man, I'll have to check it out sometime…" He muttered under his breath before texting back his friend with a simple acknowledgment in the form of ' _ok_.' Just as he hit the send button, his ears picked up an eerie scream in the near distance away from him. "What the hell…?" Wanting to believe that the scream had come from a girl who had a bit too much to drink, Hide considered just ignoring the noise. However, despite what others might have thought of him, Hide considered himself to be a realist when necessary. Listening closer, the screaming continued, and it was then that he heard one word that triggered him to take action: Help. Not wanting to waste time with any burdening weight, Hide dropped the plastic bag containing his goods as he sprinted toward the unyielding and bloodcurdling cries for help. With his newfound speed, Hide himself had found it surprising that he was able to located where the screams were emitting from in no time flat. ' _God, I'm fast…! Come on Nagachika, focus! This isn't the time to get sidetracked!_ ' He mentally scolded himself, and just in time to see the scene that played out as he made his way around a sharp corner. On the floor was a young-looking woman with long black hair with a familiar headband and waitress uniform. Pinned on the floor, she fruitless struggled to free herself from the middle aged man on top of her with chin length brown hair dangling down his face. It didn't take long for Hide to recognize who she was. ' _Oohashi…?!_ ' Likewise, it didn't long for the middle aged man to take notice of Hide as well.

"Eh?" The man uttered as he turned to face Hide. Seeing the black and red eyes on the man instantly reminded the young adult of his own encounter with the last person who had shared that very trait: Rize.

"Y…Y... You…" Hide stuttered as he took a step forward toward the ghoul.

"Why are you here?" The man questioned as he looked closer at Hide's face. "What, are you suprised? You're a ghoul, aren't you?" Seeing the sides of the younger male's lips beginning to quiver into gnarling frown, the ghoul stood up from Oohashi. "Hey kid… This girl is mine." Getting a better look at the man, Hide noticed the blood matted around the ghoul's lips. Looking past him, Hide felt his heart skip a beat as he watched Oohashi slowly turn her head to stare at him with a pleading eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. On her collar bone, a large open wound had become visible to Hide's line of vision as he closed the distance between him and her attacker. "Hey! You listening, you dumb shit? I'll ki-" No longer hesitating, Hide rushed in as he cletched his fist. Having planned on striking the man in between his ribs, Hide had gotten more than what he had bargained for when he felt his fist penetrated through the man's torso and inside his chest. Hearing the gurgling of the man choking on his own blood, Hide stood frozen to spot as he stared in horror at what he had done. Weakly, the man painfully pushed himself away from Hide as he collapsed on the ground with a thud. "Y… ou-You-" Before the man could finish choking out his threat, he paused as he watched a foot gently place itself on his face.

"Boom." Nishiki said in a monotone voice as he stomped the ghoul's head in. The sickening crack and squishing noise had sent even more shivers down Hide's spine. "Shesh… I said don't go having a meal on my eating grounds." He muttered to the corpse as he retracted his foot to wipe the gore from his leather loafers. Adjusting his glasses back on his nose, Nishiki looked up to see the expression on the other young man's face. "I really need to stop running into you, Nagachika… Huh?" Lowering his eye level down to the bloodied fist of the shocked young man in front of him, then back up at the grey and red kakugan in Hide's right eye, Nishiki allowed himself to grin in surprise as he gave a small throaty laugh. "So you're a ghoul, are you… Oh, I get it. That's why you were buying that coffee." Nishiki reasoned, but soon found that his own explanation had opened up more questions for him to ask. "But that doesn't explain why you bought all that candy… And more importantly, why is only one of your eyes red? It's kinda creepy…" Nishiki mused as he turned around to spot the injured girl who laid in a small pool of her own blood. "You know… This is _MY_ feeding ground, so… Get it?" Taking a step toward Hide, Nishiki lifted him from the neck up before pinning him to the side of one of the brick-walls. "You're trespassing... Don't ever come into my territory." Nishiki threatened in a low voice as he tightened his grip around Hide's neck. "If you're a ghoul from the 20th district here, you at least ought to know that… Well… Because I know who you are, I'll let you off with a warning this time and only this time." Releasing his grip, Nishiki watched with a small smile as he watched Hide collapsed onto the floor to gasp for air. "And just because I'm so nice, allow me to provide you with a scenario you can use to understand how this works." Nishiki chuckled before clearing his throat as he circled around Hide. "Let's imagine: You find your lover lying naked and broken… And in the same place is a man you don't know, stripped from the waist down… And he says, "I didn't do a thing. I just happened to be here". So? Do you believe him? If it were me, I would kill the bastard… Think about that next time you even think to consider showing your face around here again." With his adviced given, Nishiki lifted Hide back up to his feet by pulling him up from the collar of his polo. "Now get the hell out of here so I can bag this meal up for another time."

"No…" Hide choked out as he took a step toward the Oohashi. "You're wrong."

"Oh?" Nishiki questioned as his eyes begun to turn red. "Then please, go on and enlighten me." Wiping his mouth from saliva, Hide glared at Nishiki's smug expression.

"First off… I'm not a ghoul, but I'm not exactly human either. Second off... That candy and coffee wasn't for me, it was for my best friend… And lastly… And lastly: You're not taking Oohashi anywhere with you."

"What a shame… I suppose my kindness really is my downfall, isn't it?" Nishiki said sarcastically as he placed his hand on his neck to pop it. "I've been waiting for the day where I finally get to kick your ass, Nagachika… Ghoul or not, I'm still going to fuck you up." The reaction that came out of Hide surprised Nishiki, as the male Qunix's lips curled into a challenging, yet playful, cocky smirk as he brought his fist up. Seeing Hide with that amount of confidence served to remind Nishiki how much he had truly annoyed him back on campus.

"Blah blah blah blah blah." Hide imitated the young ghoul in front of him as he rolled his eyes dramatically with a yawn. "Don't you ever shut up?"

* * *

 **Hide vs Nish... Nishs... God, I can't tell you how many times I screwed up Nishiki's name while writing this. So, I'm trying to split up the plot between Kaneki and Hide. Once again, it might be a little bit before I release the next chapter, but I'll try hard to update sooner lol. Okay byyyyyeeeee 3**


	4. Nishiki's Deception

**_Well uh... This came out a bit longer than it should have... Enjoy chapter four._**

* * *

 _Engulfed by a white light, Kaneki let out a small grunt as he shielded his eyes with his forearm. Fortunately, the blinding radiance transitioned to the familiar and hollowed blue skies above in no time flat. Laying on his back, Kaneki stared blankly up at the sky in awe as he watched the painted white clouds above moving across the heavens as a gentle sweet breeze carried them away. "This place again…" He muttered as he looked beside him to see the same white house as the last time. Picking himself off of the grass, he looked down to see that neither dirt nor any loose blades of grass had stained his white collared shirt. Looking over to the clothes line, he found there to be an absence of wet clothes. "He must be inside…" Kaneki concluded. The soft blades of grass brushed gently against the bottom of his bare feet as he walked over to the glass-sliding doors that led into the house. Only having to knock once, he could hear the sounds of distant footsteps from another room closing in. Popping around the corner, the familiar face of the blue-haired man smiled welcomingly as he slide back the glass-frame. "Good morning, Arata." Kaneki greeted with a smile._

 _"And a good morning to you as well, Kaneki." Arata replied back as he waved for the younger adult to come in. "Like I said before, my house is your house."_

 _"Thank you!" Taking a step inside, Kaneki brushed past the white curtains that hung inside and was greeted with an enticing aroma of brewed coffee. Everything seemed appropriately decorated to match the overall presence of the house. Stepping across the wooden tiles, Kaneki could see the quaint, yet warm-welcoming sight of the yellow and tan counters of the kitchen just past the wooden-oak dining table. Pulling back one of the four chairs, Kaneki seated himself down with Arata sitting across from him. "Your house is very nice."_

 _"My wife and I try to keep it that way." Arata chuckled softly. "But thank you for the compliment… Do you mind staying here for a quick minute?"_

 _"Of course." Kaneki said with a nod._

 _"Wonderful! I'll be back real quick." With that said, Arata pushed his chair in as he left the dining table. Sitting patiently, Kaneki rested his elbow down on the table as he placed his palm on his cheek. Letting his eyes wander around the walls, Kaneki noticed a framed photograph facing the dining table. The picture was of two children, both with dark blue hair and happy expressions on their faces. At first, Kaneki considered the picture to be an early photograph of Arata and his wife as children, but quickly dismissed that thought for a more reasonable one._

 _"Must be his children." Kaneki mused quietly as he continued to admire the picture. The boy had hair similar to Arata's, and was sat down with his sister's arms wrapped around him in a loving manner. Looking at her short-parted hair, Kaneki found the white-rabbit hair clip to be adorable._

 _"Precious, aren't they?" Balancing a white cup on top of the white platter in his hand, Arata walked over to the table to place the set in front of his guest. Leaning over the cup, Kaneki took a whiff of the brown transparent liquid inside, and instantly recognized a peppery scent casting from the cup's contents. Quickly covering his nose with his sleeve, Kaneki sneezed._

 _"What is this?" Kaneki inquired as he once again took a peek of his beverage._

 _"It's a cup of detox tea my wife made." Although Kaneki didn't feel the need to be suspicious of Arata, he still felt some hesitance in drinking the tea. Arata was quick to notice this too._

 _"I don't want to sound ungrateful, but… I thought I was going to have coffee, not tea."_

 _"That's what I thought too." Arata said in agreeance. Rubbing the back of his head, the man let out an uneasy chuckle before shrugging. "But… The Mrs. insisted that you'd drink this before you move on to the uh… To the next drink." Almost apologetically, Arata smiled at Kaneki before patting his shoulder. "She means well, I promise." Glancing up at Arata, then down at the tea, Kaneki stared at the beverage in silence before taking a deep breath._

* * *

 **I didn't want to impose on his hospitality, and even worse, I hated the idea of hurting Arata's feelings. Exhaling all the air in my lung, I grabbed the sides of the cup with both hands and instantly downed the entire cup full of tea. In hindsight, I'm glad that I downed the entirety of it in one gulp, because although the taste wasn't necessarily bad, it was strong. When I had awoken, I couldn't help but notice the bitter taste in my mouth.**

* * *

Outside in the warm light of the afternoon sun, Kaneki sat at a bench with his legs crossed over one another as he tried to preoccupy himself. Having been extraordinarily hungry, he had tried ordering a quick hamburger from the campus food court, but was shocked when he had taken the first bite. It wasn't so much that the hamburger wasn't tasty; infact, Kaneki found it to be really good. However, Kaneki had found that the hamburger hadn't satisfied his craving. Having found himself plagued with a sweet tooth, Kaneki instead bought a bag of chocolates from the shop near the food court. However, unbeknownst to him, while he had been in the shop, Hide was outside of food court attracting a crowd of fellow students by the flock with his amazing physical abilities. Upon leaving the building, Kaneki was met with the sight of Hide standing ontop of a table with a confidence that only he could pull off. Not wanting to get passed the crowd of students islanding his best friend, Kaneki instead took a seat at a nearby bench with his book out in order to pass the time until lunch ended; however, he couldn't help but to listen in on what was going on across from him. Almost in an instant, Kaneki silently regretted looking over to where Hide stood. Catching sight of his best friend, Hide squinted his eyes from the short-distance to ensure that it was really him. "Hey, hey…" The longer Hide kept looking over at Kaneki, the more unwanted attention Kaneki received from the students as they gazed over at the same direction their champion was staring at. Hide's eyes suddenly shot open wide as he concluded that shy nerd he was staring at was infact Kaneki and not someone else with black hair. ' _Pfff, I should have worn my contacts this morning… If only he had on something distinguishable, like an eyepatch or something… Do what you want cause a pirate is free; you are a pirate._ ' Shaking himself from his sidetracking thoughts, Hide bent his knees down before launching himself several yards into the air. The students let out gasps and comments as they watched Hide leap clear over their heads and land perfectly in front of Kaneki. Clamping his hands on Kaneki's shoulders, Hide begun to playfully shake Kaneki back and forth on the bench. "HEEEE-EY!" Hide shouted in an over dramatic manner.

"Wha?! I was just sitting here!" Kaneki said in defense, but was still shaken nonetheless.

"Damn you, Kaneki! I was waiting for like… How long was I waiting for?" Suddenly stopping shaking his friend, Hide tilted his head in thought as he asked Kaneki. Taking out his phone, Kaneki lowered his gaze toward the time displayed on the screen before turning to face back toward Hide.

"For about ten minutes-"

"-I've been waiting out here for ten minutes dude! I finished my food in about twelve seconds man, what took you so long?!" Letting go Kaneki, Hide let out a sigh as he brushed his fingers through his hair. "Rabbits die of loneliness, you know! Did you that?! Huh?!" Trying his best to play along with Hide's little skit, Kaneki did his best to stuffle his laughter, but that only caused Hide to break out of character.

"Hide, you know that's just a myth." Kaneki said with a light chuckle as he got up from the bench. "And besides, you're no rabbit."

"... Quiet, you."

"Nagachika." Looking over to where the crowd was beginning to disband, an older student with glasses, blond hair and a goatee approached over to where the two best friends stood. "This guy your friend?" The man questioned as he looked over to Kaneki.

"Yeah, this is Kaneki. Kaneki Ken!" Hide introduced him with a finger pointed. "Ever since grade school, I haven't been able to get rid of 'em!" Being as shy as he was, Kaneki avoided eye contact with the stranger and instead focused on Hide instead. Having noticed Kaneki's shyness, Hide rest his arm over Kaneki's neck and looked over to him with a wide smile. "This guy's a senior on the school festival planning committee!" He explained.

"Pleasure." The young man greeted with a wave, which Kaneki only acknowledge with a forced smile.

"And I was invited to be on the committee too. They sure didn't think that decision over too well, ha!" Hide said with a laugh as he put his arm back down to his side.

"You went and said you wanted to do it, didn't you?" The blond man smiled before turning over to looked at Kaneki. "Would you like to join too, Kaneki? Are you in any other clubs?"

"Eh?" Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kaneki begun to stutter for an appropriate way to say no without making himself seem like a loner. After all, it wasn't like he enjoyed anything that involved events like the ones his campus hosted. "Well, uh… I… Not really, but…"

"He can't!" Hide intervened as he lifted a finger up. "He's got, you know, committee phobia!"

"Eh? What's that?" The senior student inquired.

"If he's on a committee or anything, because of the extreme pressure he develops this condition where a mysterious fluid starts leaking out of all of his pores…" Not knowing how to respond to Hide's false diagnosis, Kaneki stared in disbelief at his best friend. He knew what Hide was trying to do, and appreciated his efforts, but Kaneki knew that no one with common sense would believe something as conveniently made-up as committee phobia.

"And how does that end?" Kaneki was at lost of words from hearing that sentence come out of the older, the supposedly more wiser, student's mouth. Even Hide seemed a bit surprised that the older student was buying into his lie.

"Um… Death, I guess."

"Really…" The man with glasses lowered his chin down in a moment of silence as he collected his thoughts. "Well, I'm sorry I asked, Kaneki. In the meantime, Nagachika, why don't you get the DVD of last year's festival from Nishio?" Hearing the other student's name, both Hide and Kaneki felt their hearts drop at the mention of that name. "Is that a problem, Nagachika?"

"Er… No problem." Hide reassured as he did his best to muster a smile. "I roger that."

* * *

 **Nishiki Nishio, a diligent student who had even been known around campus as a prodigy according to what Hide had told me. I didn't know much about him other than what Hide had told me that morning after I had walked Tooru back to his place. I knew I had to be cautious around him, considering that he was one of those ghouls who had no problem hurting others to get what he wanted. I recalled the dismay I felt after Hide had told me had fought him after witnessing a death of another violent ghoul who had tried eating a waitress. As selfish as I might have been, I overlooked the fact that Hide had won and managed to bring that waitress to the hospital. The only thing I really cared about was that he made it out alive.**

* * *

The walk over the campus dorms wasn't very far from the food court, and before they knew it, Kaneki and Hide stood in front of the room with the plaque hung above reading 'AO'. "Okay, this is it. Wait a sec, will ya?" Just as Hide motioned his arm toward the handle of the door, Kaneki grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Hide, maybe I should get the DVD while you wait outside?" Kaneki questioned as he looked at Hide with concern in his eyes. "It hasn't been that long since that night you two fought. I don't think he'll be too happy to see you."

"Thanks Kaneki, but I doubt he would try anything funny in a place as public as this." Hide reassured as he gently brushed Kaneki's hand away. "Besides, I put him in his place once already; if he tries anything dumb, I'll just whoop him like I did last time!"

"I… I suppose so."

"Great! Glad you agree!" Without hesitation, Hide slide the door open hard.

"Hide, you could at least knock-" Opening the door, the two friends were immediately greeted with the sight of short hime-cut hair girl caught in the act of grinding on top of Nishiki's lap. She let out a high pitch scream as took notice of the two wordless young men at the doorway. Quickly exposing her breast, she pulled up the sleeves of her jacket before hopping off Nishiki. On her way out of the room, she picked up her bra from the floor as she rushed down the hallway with her hands covering her chest. Kaneki watched as the girl mashed the same button on the elevator, even as the doors were closing.

"Agh… Umm… Sorry 'bout that, Nishiki…" Hide apologized nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Nagachika." Nishiki muttered as he pressed back his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I hate it when people barge in on my territory…"

"So I've heard." Hide replied back in a low tone as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Don't you know how to knock? Is this how you show respect to your elders?" Nishiki question in a condescending tone of voice.

"I-I'm sorry, I really don't know what to say." Hide admitted in a still-shocked voice.

"You should at least have _SOMETHING_ to say. Do you think I'm trying to trick you with smooth lines and sweet words?"

"That doesn't even make sense." Nishiki looked as though he if were about to counter with another remark, but withheld his tongue as his eyes gazed over to where Kaneki stood.

"Why don't you… Come in then." Nishiki hesitantly invited them inside as he stood up from his seat. "You're with Hide then?"

"Yeah, this is my friend Kaneki!" Hide replied back as he patted the young man in question on the back. "Known each other since we were kids."

"Nice to meet you…" Kaneki whispered softly as he did his best to keep eye contact, but instead found himself staring at the ghoul's mouth instead.

"Is that right… So you're Kaneki, eh?"

"That's literally what I just said." Hide muttered under his breath breath as he watched the older student casually walk over to his best friend. Suspicious and protective over Kaneki, Hide silently prepared himself for any sudden jolts of movement from Nishiki.

"Nishio Nishiki: I'm a sophomore from the pharmaceutical department." He introduced himself as he stopped a few feet away from the nervous bookworm. "My pleasure, Kaneki."

"Nice to… Meet you…" Kaneki replied back with a nervous tone, in which was amusing to Nishiki as he silently stared at the trembling young man with a smirk. Leaning away from Kaneki, Nishiki instead turned his attention to Hide with his grin clear from his face.

"So, now that we our introductions out of the way and we're all just the best of friends now; what is it that you need Nagachika?".

"I uh, I came here because the committee needs the information from last year's store."

"So you're in the event committee now? I never thought the standards would ever be _that_ low." Nishiki smart mouthed before turning around. "Hold on a second, let me look." Searching through the shelves near his computer desk, Nishiki rifled through case-by-case silently. "... Huh… Hm. Nagachika, trying find it over by there by the other shelves. It should be in a green case."

"Ah, okay!" Hide acknowledged as he turned around begin searching in the shelves parallel from where Nishiki was searching through.

"Over there… um… Kaneki… You try helping look too." Nishiki ordered as he continued to switched his attention down the metal cabinets. "It's more efficient if you look over where my desktop and laptop are at. Come on, get a move on."

"Um… Okay…?"

* * *

After an hour of their fruitless endeavours, it gradually became more and more apparent that Nishiki was getting tired of what he considered to be a wild-goose chase. Even Kaneki had to admit that after twenty minutes of searching, he had found that he was basically going through the same DVD cases over and over again just to make it seem as though he was looking hard. "... I can't find the damn thing. Is it okay if we give up now?" Nishiki pleaded in exhaustion as he stood up from where had been kneeling near the cabinet.

"No… Please keep searching." Hide insisted as he did his best to keep his hopes up. Even if he was starting to doubt that Nishiki still even had it. Standing still, Nishiki opened the blinds of window and begun to stare silently outside. "...Nishiki?" Hide whispered as he took notice of the odd behaviour.

"Ah." Nishiki suddenly spoke as he tapped his fingers against the window sill. "I'm sorry, I just remembered that I took that disk back to my house."

"Wha!? For real!?"

"Don't make a fuss. I said I was sorry." Nishiki muttered as he felt his grin return to his face. "It's perhaps a bother for you, but you wouldn't mind if we went over to get it, do you?"

"You want me to go over your house?" Hide questioned cautiously.

"I don't see a problem with that, do you?"

"Well, it's just odd that you'd invite me over where you live is all. I mean-"

"Far be it from me to bring you out of your comfort zone, Nagachika." Nishiki countered. "Although, wouldn't it be a shame that the only reason you'd be kicked out of the committee would be over something as minute as not delivering a DVD?" Hide knew that Nishiki was taunting him, but he also knew what he spoke held some truth. Being so new to the committee, Hide knew that if he failed at his first assignment, it would surely soil his reputation for himself. Especially taking in consideration that his newfound popularity was rising rapidly through the campus; but endangering himself over something as trivial as that didn't seem worth it. On the other hand, he had beaten Nishiki once, so the possibility that the elder knew otherwise than to try an ambush on him conflicted with Hide's better judgement.

"Err… Kaneki, sorry! I guess I'll have to drop by Nishiki's place." Hearing Hide agreeing to go sent a shiver down Kaneki's spine. "You can go on ahead back home; I'll be there later." Hide reassured with a comforting smile before turning to face Nishiki. "Is your house close?"

"It's a bit of a walk, but not far."

* * *

 **Nishiki Nishio… He was behaving in such a docile manner with Hide and I. It was definitely how he always deceived humans, I was sure of it. "Deceiving"... In other words, he was hiding his real self… and Hide knew better than me what he was really like… I couldn't let Hide go alone. Even if he had already beaten Nishiki once, there was surely a reason why Nishiki was acting as if though that night never happened.**

* * *

"Is it okay if I go too?" Kaneki's question surprised Hide.

"Huh?" Just as Hide suspected, Kaneki was frowning after he had asked. "... No, you need to get some rest…" Hide stated a little too firmly than he had anticipated. "Besides… Look! Nishiki and I are going to share some pervy talk…!" Undeterred from Hide's insisting efforts, Kaneki silently stared back at Hide, who only returned the same genuine stare of concern that he was receiving.

"... It's okay if he comes along, right?" Nishiki inquired as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's not like I intend to show you anything particular… Nagachika, you don't have to make such a fuss about it, right?"

"N… No. I just thought it'd be awkward since it's the first time you and Kaneki have met…" Hide replied as he scratched his cheek bone.

"And I'm saying it's okay." Nishiki stated back. Reaching into his pocket, Nishiki took out his cellphone. "Before we go, could you hold on while I make a call?" Without waiting for an answer, Nishiki made his way over to the far side of the dorm room to begin his call. Meanwhile, Kaneki looked over to see Hide looking down at the ground as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Why did you suddenly…?"

"I just… You know… Just in case you need help " _finding_ " that DVD." Kaneki said in emphasis as his eyes gave a quick stare toward where Nishiki was.

"Well… Since Nishiki seems fine with it… I wonder if he's calling that girl from earlier."

"... Hide, is it fair of me to assume that you're not exactly on good terms with Nishiki?"

"Well, in all the days that we've spoken, even before that one night, there's never was once a time that I didn't get the feeling that he's poisonous. But yeah, even before that stunt he pulled, I'm pretty sure I've always hated him."

"I… I see…" Returning back from his conversation on the phone, Nishiki walked back over to where the friends were having their private conversation.

"Okay… Sorry for the wait! Shall we go?" Nishiki inquired with a bored look on his face.

"Yeah!" Hide said with a nod as he rested his hands on the back of his head.

"-Also, Nagachika... You said someone was poisonous?"

"Huh?! No… Hahaha… Ha…"

* * *

 **Nishiki Nishio… Ghouls... It seemed as though Hide and I were cursed to seeing ghouls more and more ever since we agreed to becoming Qunix. Why was it that I was able to see so many ghouls around us like this….? No… That wasn't true. I never noticed it before, but Nishiki and many others like him had always been around me. It was Hide and I who went astray in the "Ghoul's" world…**

* * *

It had been around six o'clock by the time the group had actually left campus to begin their walk underneath the dark-cloudy skies of twilight. About a mile into the walk, they had stopped at a food stand. Having stopped walking, Kaneki became confused to see Nishiki staring thoughtfully at the food stand before pointing over the cashier. "It's just some taiyaki, but shall we eat?" Both Kaneki and Hide were equally surprised at Nishiki wanting to eat food.

"... Yeah, that'd be great!" Hide replied back with a smile. After they had ordered their food, it wasn't long until their taiyaki was handed to them in plastic wrapping. Peeling back the sides of the wrapping, Kaneki felt his mouth beginning to water as he became focused on the steaming-hot meal in his hand. Just as Hide did, Kaneki was swift to take the first chomp that nearly took off the entire upper half of the steamy fish.

"You two should mind your eating etiquette; we are out in public after all." Nishiki scolded in slight disgust. Although he was beginning to dislike Nishiki on a personal level himself, Kaneki knew that the other man's comment held truth to it. Despite being rude. Although he had to will himself not to immediately take the next bite, Kaneki gritted his teeth down hard as he slowly peeled back the wrapping more to proceed on to taking smaller bites. Chewing the crispy bite he took was painful for Kaneki as he held back to the urge to immediately swallow what he had in his mouth. By the end of it, Kaneki's hands were trembling slightly. "Kaneki, you're not part of the committee?"

"Huh?... Ah… That's right." Kaneki replied back awkwardly as he walked over to a nearby trashcan to toss away his wrapper. "Managing things isn't one of my strong points…"

"... Hm. It seems you're the exact opposite of Nagachika, who likes festivals." He mused with the same bored expression as before.

"Nishiki, do you like those types of events too?" Hide asked.

"Not really." Nishiki replied back with blunt honesty before the group continued their walk down towards the suburbs. "Since only committee members can do this stuff, you're able to make a lot of connections aren't you? When you gain many acquaintances in college, after you graduate, various things will be more convenient."

"You really plan far ahead, don't you?" Hide commented as he looked up to take notice of the sky beginning to get darker and darker.

"Someone who can't plan ahead on their own won't be able to live a good life." Nishiki stated as he begun to finally unwrap his treat. Hearing the sounds of the wrapper crinkling, Kaneki turned to look over with a look of surprise as Nishiki opened his mouth for the first bite.

* * *

 **A ghoul shouldn't have been able to eat something like that… But on the contrary to what I thought, Nishiki showed no signs of disgust as he was not only able to chew the food with no problem, but he was even able to stand swallowing it as well. There was no way… How was he able to eat it…? Perhaps he was just enduring it; it is possible after all.**

 **Nishiki had been blending in with the human world very well. He really… He really seemed just like a normal college student. Up to that point, he'd been performing as a human flawlessly, while at the same time he was still a ghoul. Honestly, it was pretty impressive. I suppose if it hadn't been for the fact that Hide had told me what he really was before meeting him myself, I would have been one of the other students who wouldn't have ever guessed that Nishiki was a ghoul.**

* * *

The walk had been further than either Hide and Kaneki had hoped for, and even with it clearly be night outside, they continued to press forward. "It's shortly after the bend at the end here." Nishiki assured as his pace begun to slow down.

"Is this a shortcut?" Kaneki questioned as he went ahead of Nishiki to see what was on the other side. What he had found though was what looked like a closed back-entrance for a factory of some sort with various tires and wooden debris spread across the enclosed area. "This… This seems like a dead end."

"You're right, it's a dead end." Before he could turn around in time, Nishiki was already behind Kaneki. Grunting, Nishiki delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that sent Kaneki bouncing against the pavement of the alley before slamming his head against a pile of metal debris with a loud thump. "If he caught a glimpse, it'd be troublesome, right?" Standing shocked at what he had witnessed, Hide felt his entire body became cold as he looked at Kaneki's fluttering eyes stare back at him.

"KANEKI!" Turning to face Nishiki, Hide had only allowed the ghoul open access to his neck. Lifting Hide up by his throat, Nishiki watched Hide struggle for air before taking a whiff through his nostrils.

"How disgusting… You smell like a female ghoul." Nishiki grimaced as he glared into Hide's eyes. "Did you really think that I would forget, or even forgive you for that night?" Without receiving an immediate answer, Nishiki begun to observe his body language for an answer to his question. Looking over to where Hide was staring at, Nishiki looked over at where Kaneki laid against the pile of fallen debris. "... Are you worried about him, Nagachika? I get it… You were planning on eating that guy, weren't you?" Despite his current situation, hearing that accusation caught Hide off guard as he switched his attention over to see the wide eyed-grin of the sadist staring back at him. "The moment when you betray an idiot who believes in you and when their anguished expression emerges… The look of hopelessness and such from other humans… Just doesn't stimulate one's appetite the same way, right… ?" Nishiki chuckled in a low tone before shouting with a demented look in his eyes. "You think so too, don't you!? DON'T YOU!?"

"Who in the hell… would do something like that…?" Hide choked out as he gripped Nishiki's wrist. Glaring back at Nishiki, Hide's left eye became red as he glared hatefully at the elder. "I'M NOT SOME COLD HEARTED BASTARD LIKE YOU!" Swinging his legs back, Hide pressed his feet against the brick wall. Still holding onto Nishiki's wrists, Hide launched himself forward while bringing Nishiki down with him. As soon as the other man's grip became weakened in mid-fall, Hide slammed Nishiki's wrist away and down against ground before rolling forward to break the fall.

"Shit!" Nishiki shouted as held his wrist. As the two got up, they stood a few yards from each other with anger in their eyes. "Touka, the bitch who you smell of, said something along the lines of that to me before… When some stupid junior looks down on me and says things like that, it really pisses me off." Grabbing on to his wrist, Nishiki popped it back into place before letting out a low chuckle. "You got lucky again, Nagachika! It's just your luck that I'm feeling pretty shitty right now… Must be the fault of that taiyaki I ate earlier…" Hide watched as the elder student lifted up his hand with two fingers pointed down toward the direction of his throat. "To think that humans actually eat that stuff of their own free will… It's the same as eating horse shit." Nishiki muttered before stuffing his fingers down his throat to forcefully induce vomiting all over the floor in front of him. "Ah… I feel much better now."

"YOU'RE SICK!" Hide shouted as he rushed forward with his fist raised in the air. However, as soon as he got close and threw his punch, Nishiki had already moved out of the way and positioned himself perfectly to strike. In the same direction that Hide had swung, Nishiki used the younger adult's velocity against him and kicked him into the side of the metal fence across from the factory building.

"This guy's been your friend for a long time, hasn't he?" Nishiki commented as he pointed over to where Kaneki was. "Just when the hell were you planning to eat him? Waiting for a situation where you could attack him? The place is important too, isn't it? How about telling your elder, Nagachika? WHAT WERE YOU PLANNING TO DO!? HUH!? HUH!?"

"He's not food, you sick bastard…" Getting up to his knees, Hide gritted his teeth. "He's my friend! So stop it right now!" Picking up a wooden pole, Hide charged toward Nishiki once more, this time with a weapon in hand.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Nishiki questioned mockingly as he bursted into laughter. Maneuvering left away from where Hide had swung the pole down, Nishiki reached around to grab hold of Hide's wrist. "It's like you're trying to hurt me using a nerf sword… Tell me Nagachika…" Spinning around, Nishiki delivered a powerful roundhouse kick against the side of Hide's ribcage. "ARE YOU A FUCKING CHILD!?" Before Hide was launched back into the air, Nishiki smirked at the sound of cracking from Hide's ribs as he watched him slide over the pavement as if he were a rock being skipped across a body of water. "What do you think? About my kick?" Nishiki asked mockingly before stuffing his hands into his pocket. "If I really went all out with it, not even Touka and Yomo would be able to beat me." Now fully confident, Nishiki casually walked over to where Hide had landed. "But I don't really get you… After all, to us, humans are just food. It's the same as beef or pork to them." He reasoned as he got closer. "Why are you pretending to be friends with some food? Is it fun to you?"

"It's… It's not pretending." Hide gasped out as he struggled to pick himself up.

"Is that so?... Let's say that's true for now; but I have to admit, you chose well to befriend that coward, Kaneki Ken. That guy's appearance, speech, and behavior are all very quiet and shy… Even if he did know something was amidst, he'd be the one who would never betray his friend, am I right? I mean, even you knew my intentions, and probably passed word onto him, didn't you? And yet, he still agreed to come, just so he could try and protect you… How sad." It certainly was true that Hide often noticed changes in a person's behavior that many would come deem trivial. Since long ago, even Kaneki had always thought that he had good intuition, but that it was only because of the persistent association they had together over the years. Kaneki, still barely conscious, continued to watch the scene unfold in front of him. He had never guessed that others felt the same way about Hide as he did as well. "Stand the fuck up." Without waiting for Hide to get up on his own, Nishiki grabbed him by the hair and yanked him to his feet. "What happened Nagachika? Don't you care about Kaneki?... Or would you rather watch me kill him?" Having enough, Hide swung his fist forward and landed a heavy hit on Nishiki's face. However, instead of having knocked him out, this only angered his attacker. "You little shit… time to put you back in your place…" Nishiki muttered in a low voice as his eyes turned red. In a flash, Nishiki was behind Hide and had already placed his foot down against the back of his knee. Pulling back on Hide arm's, Nishiki popped Hide's joint out of place; all the while he savored his screams of anguish and pain. He quickly did the same for the other leg before kicking Hide down on to the floor. Hearing the whines of his defeated opponent, Nishiki grinned in excitement as he kicked Hide on the side to roll him over before spitting on his face. "Did we play a little too much?" Looking up in painfully, Hide watched as a single tendril with split-ends extending out emerged from the lower back of Nishiki as it wrapped itself around his foot. "Though it was too easy when I let the kagune reveal itself… Well then… Let's quickly end this." Resting his foot on top of his face, Nishiki looked down with an expression of disgust as if it he were about to crush an insect. "See ya, Nagachika." Before he could lift his leg up to deliver to killing blow, the ghoul heard rustling of metal and planks behind him. "Eh?"

* * *

Standing high above on a rooftop, Touka stood watching over the city. Hearing her phone ringing, she took the device out of her pocket before accepting the call. "Hello, Yomo?... Sorry, I have some business to take care of… Can you wait for me a little while?"

* * *

 **I… I didn't know what came over me. I would have tried helping Hide sooner, but I found that my body refused to budge an inch forward. It was true that I was kicked and landed pretty hard, but how could I have gone down from one kick while Hide was able to withstand so much punishment? I felt nothing but guilt as I did nothing but watch my best friend being put through so much pain. Why was it that only when I knew that it would have been the end for Hide, did I find the strength to get up? Standing up, all the pain in my body vanished in an instant as I could feel the quinque piercing through my back as it enveloped my body from the neck down in black armor-like plating that shined in the darkness of the night with a dimly-lit blue light. Was this what my kagune was? I didn't know… But I did know that only one thought begun to run rampant in my head: Destroy.**

* * *

"About time you got up, you-" Kaneki refused to allow the ghoul finished his sentence, he rushed toward Nishiki in a flash. Without warning, Kaneki stood mere feet in front of Nishiki, who jolted back in shock at the sight of the Qunix's body enveloping in a red light as the blue lights in his kagune also transformed. As the red linings on his kagune-armor expanded, Nishiki felt an intense heat beginning to singe his body. "Wh… What the hell are you?!" Crushing Nishiki's wrist and shattering his bones as he grabbed hold of him, Kaneki impaled his arm through the ghoul's torso. Lifting him up by his spine, Kaneki's intense heat produced from his kagune caused a blackened smoke to begin rising out of Nishiki's body. The ghoul could could feel his organs cooking from the inside out. "GAH… STOP IT! STOP IT, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! I'LL DIE! I'LL DIE! I'LL DIE I'LL DIE! I'LL DIE!"

" _Kaneki, that's enough."_

With a sudden jolt, Kaneki felt his body shudder as he realized what he was doing. Despite everything the ghoul did to both him and Hide, Kaneki still didn't want to hurt anyone. Feeling the heat from red light beginning to fade away, Nishiki let out a grunt as Kaneki released his grip around his spine. Falling to the ground, Nishiki begun to cough up blood violently as he weakly begun to crawl away from Kaneki. Not that it mattered in actuality. It wasn't as though he had any desire to kill him. Looking back over to Hide, Kaneki quickly rushed over to his best friend's side. "Hide!" The closer Kaneki got though, he couldn't help but feel the sense of being targeted. Halting in mid sprint, Kaneki felt his kagune taking control of his movement as his arms reached up to grab hold of an outstretched leg.

"What the-" In one swift movement, Kaneki swung the would-be attacker back into the alley behind him. Turning around, Kaneki watched as the hooded assailant tumbled and bounced over the pavement and into the same pile of debris he had previously landed in himself.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Kaneki screamed in protest as he felt tears of frustration beginning to run down his cheeks.

* * *

 **Destroy. Destroy. Destroy.**

* * *

"I don't get it… Is that what your kind does?! Attack others for just because you can?! Is that the kind of power you freaks want?!" Kaneki shouted as he could feel his kagune beginning to glow a brilliant red once more. "IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!?" Before he could leap toward the fallen figure, Kaneki was instead tugged back with a powerful force. Looking down, he realized that three red tendril-like appendages had been wrapped around his chest- holding him back. "... Hide?" Behind him, from where the kagune had formed, stood Hide who could barely stand up staring back at Kaneki with a look of dismay.

"... Kaneki, please stop...! That's Touka!" Just as the heat from Kaneki's kagune finally ate through Hide's kagune, the bookwork looked over to where the figure was. Standing up from the rubble was a girl with a black skirt and white-school uniform on taking off her jacket glaring back at Kaneki.

"Touka…?" Although the face of the young woman was far from friendly, the familiarity of seeing her likeness eased Kaneki's stress. Even his kagune begun to evaporate into a black mist that vanished in the air as he begun to calm down. " Touka… Why did you try kicking me?"

"I thought your dumbass lost the ability to reason." Touka replied back bitterly as she begun to dust off her uniform.

"Oh… I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Whatever; just follow me, okay? It won't be long until someone calls in about the shit that went down here."

* * *

 _ **WELL ZOINKS GANG! I'll update when I can, lol. Once again, thank you for reading this! And yes, I tend to do references.**_


	5. Welcome to Anteiku

**_I'm so sorry :c, the hiatus has ended though. Anyways, enjoy!_**

* * *

 **After Touka had helped me escort Hide back to Anteiku, we brought him upstairs toward a guestroom. Laying him down, it was Touka who had pointed out that his body must have healed itself completely from when we first left. I must have looked surprise, because Touka had to explain to me that ghouls were able to heal themselves; although it would cause their hunger to sky rocket. She gave me a glare as I then informed her that we weren't ghouls. It was then that she told me to see her boss would want to speak to the both of us in the morning, and for the time being, I was to sleep in the bed on the other side of the room. Before going to bed, I rinsed out my mouth in the bathroom before turning off the lights and closing the bedroom door. Just before I drifted off to sleep, I saw a glimpse of Touka sitting on the bedside of Hide's sleeping body before reaching into her vest pocket to pull out a handkerchief. The last thing I could recall of that night was watching her wiping away the matted blood off Hide's face.**

* * *

In the midst of the early morning, the streets of Tokyo coursed with citizens striding below the cloudy blue sky above. Two particularly well-dressed individuals, one being a middle-aged man with sunken cheeks and a huge grin below his long, stringy, white hair. Beside the middle-aged man was a very tall, handsome young man with black hair and teal eyes that scanned over the heads of the men and women that he towered over. The twisted-twitching eyes of the middle-aged man, as glassy as they appeared, reminisced as he observed the skyscrapers surrounding him. "The 20th Ward…?" He mumbled to himself with a chuckle. "Haven't been here since the "Owl" case. How nostalgic."

"We should hurry up and find… that parent and child quickly." Hesitant to address who they were looking for, the young man sighed as he didn't want to prolong the inevitable. Finding the way the other man spoke amusing, the middle-aged man smirk grew even wider.

"We'll find them. That's why we've come after all."

* * *

Following behind them, out of view, a slender young man of average height, with purple hair and dark eyes stood in the distance as he trailed the two men. Above his peering eyes were two moles that sat just below his left eye. Taking out an earphone from his left ear, he turned his attention toward a another tall slender young man with near-shoulder length light orange hair, who stared back at him with a sharp-jagged toothy-frown. "Urie, this seems like cheating." The tall young man stated as he fixed the collar of his green-jumpsuit. Urie in turn just rolled his eyes.

"This isn't a game, Ginshi (For me atleast)." Urie replied while musing to himself. "You know as well as I that promotions come to those who work for them (Like me)." Ginshi on the other hand, questioned the morality of leaching off a higher-up's work just for the reward. "Besides, we're on a mission of our own, remember?" Turning away from the ginger, Urie brought his attention toward Tooru, who looked at him with a look of guilt and concern. "You said that those two frequent these parts, correct?"

* * *

Downstairs, a fresh-steaming aroma of brewed coffee was the first thing to greet Kaneki. Which only made sense to him, since it was a cafe. "I hope I didn't take too long…" He muttered to himself underneath his breath as he turned around the corner. With his back up straight, Yoshimura stood proudly behind the counter of in a well-pressed vest and collared shirt. In front of him was a silver platter with two white-cups of coffee that beckoned the bookworm's thirst.

"Come, have a seat young man." Yoshimura said with a gentle smile as he placed an open hand over to the stool across from him. Never one to impose, Kaneki gave a quick nod as he quickened his pace before taking a seat. "Here, one for you…" Yoshimura chimed as he held up one of the two cups before offering it to Kaneki, who appeared hesitation at first to accept it. "Relax, we're all friends here."

"I'm… I'm sorry." Kaneki apologized as he brought the cup to his edge of his mouth. "It was a rough night…" He sighed as he took a quick sip before lowering the cup once more. "Oh, and thank you for the coffee; it's really good!"

"Of course, and might I thank you for the compliment?" Picking up the remaining cup, Yoshimura extended his neck out to look over to the corner that lead upstairs. "Is Hide not coming?"

"He's still asleep."

"I see… Surely you must be tired yourself." Yoshimura reasoned. Setting down his cup, Kaneki shrugged as he rubbed his eyes. "After all, it was rather late last night when Touka brought you two here."

"It's fine, I slept really good last night. Plus, Hide always sleeps in." Taking a peek down into the cup, the young man stared back at his darken reflection. "We'll leave soon, thank you for hospitality though."

"Young man, you're my guest."

"Thank you, um…"

"My name's Yoshimura, pleasure to meet you." Smiling back with a sheepish smile, Kaneki nodded his head in acknowledgement as he looked down to see the older man's hand outstretched toward him. Although he hid his reaction underneath his ominous smile, Yoshimura grimaced internally as he noticed how clammy the young man's hand was.

* * *

Intentionally slamming open the door, Touka bursted through the room where Hide had been given to rest. His eyes shot open as he jolted up from within the comfort of his sheets. "Hey, what gives?!" Hide groaned as he turned to look at who had barged in, but before he could see the waitress, his vision was instantly impaired as a towel was flung into his face.

"You should be thanking me; I convinced my boss to let you sleep in." Touka shot back as she made her way to the bed. Placing down a silver tray on the end table beside the head of the bed, she waited for Hide to clumsily pull off the towel from his face. "There's a bathroom with a shower just down the hall; go wash up and fetch a uniform for yourself." Just as Touka turned to head for the exit, she felt a tug on her apron. "What is it?" She asked with an annoyed tone. Hide, who was still waking up, just gave her a yawn as he rubbed his eyes.

"You didn't say good morning." Touka, with her mouth agaped, felt her eye twitch as she glared daggers at the young man.

"... Good morning." She muttered before turning once again toward the exit, but only to feel the same tugging on her apron. "What the- What now?!"

"Why am I getting in uniform?"

"Because unless you want to walk around wearing a dress shirt covered in blood and grim, I suggest you change. Now, _please_ , let me get back to work." Dreading any further interruptions, Touka quickened her pace and left the room.

* * *

Turning on the knob, Hide waited outside the shower with his arm extended in to feel as the cold water quickly warmed up to a perfect temperature. As soon as the first sign of steam emerging from above the nozzle became apparent to him, Hide took a step inside. Usually, Hide would spend his time showering while whistling a quirky tune or even singing; nothing like starting the day right with a smile on his face was always the way he thought of morning showers. However, as he stood there underneath the active shower head, he couldn't help but reflect back on what had transpired the night before. His thoughts were filled with dread as he imagined what would have happened if Kaneki wouldn't have intervened. "We sure did take a good beating, but…" Hide whispered to himself underneath the splattering of water as he felt his fist tighten. "I shouldn't have given that bastard the benefit of the doubt; he could have hurt Kaneki a lot more than he did me… Whatever..." Hide stated aloud to no one in particular as he scrubbed the shampoo into his scalp.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Kaneki's hands trembled as he poured hot water from the spout of the tin pot down into the flannel drip above the glass coffee pot below. "Slowly and calmly." Yoshimura instructed from behind as he observed the young man's progress. "Pour it while making a circle."

"O… Kay." Getting the last bit of water into the pot, Kaneki removed the extensions above the coffee pot before pouring himself a cup. Taking a gulp from the cup, Kaneki found the taste to be satisfying enough, however, it seemed to be missing something. "... It's no good." Kaneki sighed as he put the cup down on the counter, "Compared to yours, there's something off about it…"

"Coffee is something you have to put effort into, so the taste can vary greatly." Yoshimura explained as he looked down at the near-empty cup that Kaneki had put down. "People are the same." Yoshimura smiled as he looked up to the young man. "There's no need to get impatient." Kaneki stood silently, not knowing on how to respond on the older man. "... Well now, I'm going to the front for a while. Touka can help you out." Yoshimura assured as he turned around to leave the kitchen area. "Just ask her if there's anything you don't know." However, just as Yoshimura was a mere yard away from the cornerway that led to the front, he stopped his tracks. "There's one important thing to remember." The older man said cryptically, much to Kaneki's interest. "Anteiku isn't just a coffee shop. It's also a place where the ghouls of the 20th ward can gather." Yoshimura explained. "There's no need to be particularly on guard here. But, you need to understand that ghoul customers come here too."

"That's… a lot of ghouls…" Kaneki whispered underneath his breath; much to Yoshimura's amusement, he smiled at the younger man's statement.

"Of course, sometimes humans come into the shop too, just like you and your friends. During those times, you should still try to give them the best service you can."

"... Um…" Sensing the immediate hesitation in the younger man's voice, Yoshimura quirked a brow. "You didn't say that uh… I mean, I didn't know that this was an actual job." Kaneki admitted in a shy tone. "I was under the impression that I was just repaying you for letting Hide and I spend the night here…"

"I take it this is your first job?" Yoshimura asked.

"It… It sort of is, yes." Kaneki replied back as he stared toward the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm just surprised is all."

"Of course, such a reaction is only natural for a young man such as yourself." Yoshimura chuckled softly.

"Um… There was something else too," Kaneki followed up as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Please, do ask."

"It's just that… Since ghouls have to hide themselves from society, is it really okay for human customers to come in here?" Kaneki's question brought a serious topic up for Yoshimura, which in result, caused him to frown.

"... Since we have to live in the world while concealing ourselves, it's necessary that we learn certain things." Yoshimura replied as he looked over his shoulder toward the corner edge of the exit; out toward the morning bustle of the customers inside. "Personality and mannerisms... casual gestures and significance of those things… and finally arriving; at how to eat things. As far as we ghouls are concerned, humans are like living textbooks." Yoshimura's simile was interesting to say the least for Kaneki, who in turn couldn't help but inch his way closer to look over to where Yoshimura was staring off at. "Besides that… I really like them… The humans." This needless to say, that sparked Kaneki's curiosity.

' _He likes humans…? What does he mean by that…?'_

"Anyway, give it your best… Ah, sorry, one last thing." Yoshimura excused himself as he recalled one more important piece of advice for Kaneki. "... Whether it's a trunk or an attach case, if a human carrying a large hand bag enters the shop, come tell me secretly."

"Okay… Um, why, what's that mean…?"

"... I'll explain soon enough." Yoshimura, being the oh so cryptic, left with those last words, leaving Kaneki alone in the kitchen with a confused look on his face.

"Be on the lookout for large hand bag…" Kaneki muttered to himself as he trailed behind after the manager. ' _Has the person been blacklisted…?_ ' He mused as he wondered out pass the counter, where he caught sight of Hide in black vest and tie, much like himself. His best friend was shadowing Touka, who motioned for Kaneki to come toward them.

"Ohhh, Kaneki!" Hide called in with a large grin on his face; seeing how he was he was literally standing right next to Touka, she winced in pain as Hide's loud voice nearly caused her ears to begin ringing. Kaneki sped his pace slightly to meet up with the two as Hide greeted him with a hug. "Morning!"

"And good morning to you too, Hide." Kaneki smiled sheepishly as he returned the hug. "I take it you were given a position here as well?" Parting away from the hug, Hide's grin became even wider than it was before, if that was at all possible.

"Oh sick, you got a job here too!?" Hide squealed in surprise as he found himself jumping up and down in excitement. "This is great Kaneki, we can finally work together! This is a fuc-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was given a smack upside the head by Touka.

"Watch your mouth, Hide!" Touka hissed at as she gave him a death stare, "This is a family-friendly environment." Rubbing the spot where she had struck, Hide pouted.

"Sorry..." Kaneki couldn't help but give a quiet snicker from watching the two. Although she didn't want to show it, Touka couldn't help but grin as well.

"Okay, okay; that's enough loligagging. Back to work you two." Touka smiled as she gave the two boys each separate orders. While Hide looked rather excited to begin, Kaneki on the hand, had an unsure expression on his face. "What, is something the matter?" Touka questioned as she stared at Kaneki.

"It's just that… Shouldn't we be trained first?" It was then that both Touka and Hide gave Kaneki a deadpan expression; ones that screamed out disbelief. "... What?"

"... You ask the customer what they want, and you go to the kitchen, make it, and give it to them." Touka explained with a somewhat irritated tone to her voice. "Is that simple enough? Or do you want me to show you how to pour coffee into a cup as well?" Kaneki looked away with a sheepish grin as it was Hide's turn to snicker at his friend.

* * *

 **The morning was busy, which gave Hide and I plenty of opportunity to practice our new job positions. I even was able to make a cute cat face using some cream for one customer. With the hustle and bustle of the high work productivity, time seemingly passed quickly, and by the time it was the afternoon, there were fewer customers coming in and out. During lunch time, Hide and I were mostly making meals for the customers. Before I knew it, it was closing time.**

Standing beside each other in front of a sink, Kaneki held a wash-cloth as he scrubbed away at the used dishes while Hide rinsed off the soap. "Hide, if you're going to start working here, does that mean you'll be having two jobs?" Kaneki asked, to which Hide shook his head.

"Nah man, that's too much work; I'm just going to quit my old job." Hide replied as he placed his finished dishes on a rack to air dry. "Hey, I didn't get to say this yet but… I'm sorry." Confused, Kaneki raised a brow as he continued to scrub.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"You know, about getting you involved in that mess yesterday." Hide elaborated as he sighed.

"Hide…"

"I know, I know, but… You could have seriously gotten hurt, and it would have been all my fault." Hide winced as he look toward Kaneki's face. "I knew that asshole would try something, and I brought you in just so I could be apart of some stupid social group… I was… I was being selfish, and for that, I appologize."

"Hide, it's okay." Kaneki smiled assuringly as he dried his hand on the towel he had set aside for himself on the counter. He placed his arm around Hide's back to comfort him with a grin of his own. "Besides, to be honest, yesterday was pretty exciting, wasn't it?" Although this surprised Hide, it worked as far as providing him with some comfort.

"Yeah, it was." Hide smirked as he finished the rinsing off the last plate. "Plus, you dunked the hell out of Nishiki." Kaneki nodded his head as he passed the towel he used to dry his hands over to Hide. While Hide was drying off, Kaneki turned off the faucet, which allowed him to hear the sounds of familiar footsteps closing in on them.

"A fine job my boys, a very fine job indeed." Yoshimura praised with a smile as he approached the two from across the counter. "With the amount of work you two put in, you must be tried."

"Ah… Yeah, a little." Kaneki admitted as he looked over at Hide, who nodded in agreement.

"Could you two come upstairs with me for a bit?" Not knowing what the older man had planned, but judging from the same warm smile he had on, neither young men thought of him concealing any malicious intent. But of course, it was rightfully so that the thought crossed the minds of both Hide and Kaneki.

"Uh… Sure." Hide said in agreeance as he put down the towel. Following the tall elder man up the stairs and down the hall, they entered the same guestroom they slept in the night prior. There inside, Touka stood beside a table with a plate set down with two sandwiches. "Oh sweet, I was getting pretty hungry!"

"Please, help yourselves." Yoshimura gestured at the plate. While Hide was quick to accept the older man's offer, Kaneki couldn't help but take precautionary steps. While his friend was munching down in delight, Kaneki unfolded the contents of the sandwich to sniff at the meat before taking a small nibble.

"Chill Kaneki, it's just turkey." Hide reassured his best friend through bites of his sandwich. Although he knew it must have been weird to see, Kaneki couldn't help but feel his mouth beginning to water up as he the turkey's juicy flavor exploded in his mouth. With trembling hands, Kaneki held himself back as he took each bite slowly for the sake of decent dining etiquette. By the time he was finished, Hide was already picking at the crumbs on plate.

"How'd you enjoy the sandwich, Kaneki?" Yoshimura inquired with an ominous grin on his face.

"The bread was fluffy and sweet, almost like angel cake… And the lettuce was so crisp and crunchy, yet, each bite felt as though a small amount of water gushed out." Kaneki smiled. "And the cheese tasted so creamy and smooth like I've never had before! Th… This is just…" Kaneki ceased his explanation as he noticed both Yoshimura and Touka snickering. "Wh… What is it…?"

"Nothing… It's just you said some interesting things." Yoshimura smiled.

"Yeah, wouldn't most people just say something along the lines like "hey, that's pretty good" or something, right?" Touka said with a smirk. Embarrassed, Kaneki felt his cheeks beginning to turn bright as he looked away. After all, he couldn't help but say what he thought of the sandwich.

"Yeah, my man Kaneki can be a bit strange, but he's cool." Hide shrugged as he set the plate down on the table.

"... So that brings us to this: you two aren't ghouls." Looking up at Yoshimura, Hide watched as the older man's facial expression turned from a welcoming smile to a concerned frown. "However, from what Touka has been telling me, you're not humans either; so that brings up the question of what exactly you two are now, doesn't it?" It was then that both Kaneki and Hide realized the real reason why they had given them sandwiches in the upstairs room. Thinking fast, Kaneki could feel himself almost becoming overwhelmed. However, before he could make something up, Hide smiled as he shrugged.

"We're good people." Yoshimura stood silently with an unreadable expression, which even caused Touka to wait patiently for a response. Finally, the old man huffed through his nose before smiling once again.

"Good enough for me." Yoshimura said with satisfaction. Just as Kaneki thought they were in the clear, Touka took a step forward, toward him in particular, with a darkened expression.

"Not for me..." Touka muttered. Surprised at her sudden outburst, Kaneki felt his eyes open wide as she jab him with her finger. "Where did you get that kagune from, because I know sure as hell that it doesn't belong to you!"

"... I… I don't know." Kaneki mumbled as he took a step back, but was quickly grabbed by the collar by Touka she pinned him against the wall.

"Bullshit!" However, before she could further interrogate him in such a manner, she was pulled away carefully, but sternly, by Yoshimura. Though visibly distraught and anger, after a few deep breaths and silently counting to ten, she appeared to have calmed herself down. "I'm… Look, I just… I need to know, okay? It's important."

"I don't know, honestly, I don't know where this thing came from." Kaneki repeated himself with his hands raised up in defense. "All I know is that they paid for my school if I got this thing inside implanted inside me." This of course, peeked both Yoshimura and Touka's interest.

"They? Who's "they"?" Touka asked, this time, with a bit more restraint on herself.

* * *

 **Seeing how I was stumbling with my words, Hide was quick to take my side and assist in our story. We told them about meeting Rize, and the white haired man that saved us. For the life of me, I honestly couldn't remember his name. We told them about how we were offered a large sum of money if we'd agreed to participate in an experiment. Seeing how neither Hide nor myself knew exactly the details on how this was conducted other than the exercises and tests done on us. However, Yoshimura seemed intrigued when Hide had told him that he had managed to get an answer to whose kagune was implanted inside of him. As for me, I was left to leave Touka high and dry upon admitting that I wasn't told where mine originated from. She seemed upset, but not at me, if that makes sense. She excused herself while Yoshimura told us that we'd talk more about it another time. Closing up shop, Hide and I walked home silently underneath the full moon, and although I didn't say anything about it, I couldn't help but feel paranoid the entire way back to his house.**

* * *

Setting the alarm for early in the morning, Hide and Kaneki had time to go through their morning routine before leaving the house to make the walk to work. Underneath the early morning sky, Kaneki couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't had been in contact with Arata; it seemed now more than ever did Kaneki have questions he yearned to be answered.

* * *

When they arrived at Anteiku, Hide prepared the tables for the morning while Kaneki was in charge of wiping the counter tops free from dust. "So yeah, they were both sued for making a reaction video about him." Hide continued with his conversation about the latest drama from online as he placed the napkins in each holder. "But that's okay, at least some good came out of it, you know?"

"No Hide, I don't know what you're talking about." Kaneki answered back as he sprayed the counters. Just as Hide opened his mouth to spread the latest trend to Kaneki, the bell kept above the entrance rang as the door opened. Looking up from the counter, Kaneki set his cloth down. "Welcome…" He did his best to greet the woman and child at the door. The woman was a slender and fairly tall with a kind smile on her face, while the child beside her had a strong resemblance to her mother; both sporting straight brown hair and eyes. The woman, who was presumably the girl's mother, wore a pale pastel dress tied at the waist with a braided orange belt, a pale yellow sweater and a pink scarf. The child on the other hand, had on a jacket over a spotted-dress that reached just above her knees. Both females looked at Kaneki then at Hide.

"Oh… New workers?" She mused with a smile, while the young girl clung tightly to the side of her mother's dress in a shy manner.

' _A regular…?_ ' Kaneki thought to himself as he walked around the counter to greet the two alongside Hide. "Ah… Yes, I'm Kaneki."

"And I'm Hide, a pleasure to meet you!" Hide smiled, much to the woman's amusement.

"I'm Ryouko." She introduced herself. Looking down at her daughter, Ryouko gave her a gentle nudge. "Come now… Hinami, say hello." Kaneki and Hide watched with smiles across their faces as they watched Hinami rustle further behind her mother. "... Well, she's still shy around strangers…"

"Hello." Kaneki greeted.

"Sup?" Hide waved casually at the girl.

"Hello…" Hinami whispered back as she peeked her head from behind her mother. Both Kaneki and Hide turned to exchange awkward stares before looking behind them to see Touka making her way behind them.

"Oh! Mrs. Fueguchi, Hinami!" Touka greeted with a smile as she walked beside the two young men.

"Hello Touka." Ryouko greeted back. Seeing the two exchanging names only confirmed Kaneki's suspicions that surely she had to be . Although, he'd never seen her before, despite him being a regular himself.

"Mr. Yoshimura is waiting on the 2nd floor, go on up." Touka said as she pointed a thumb over behind her. The three of them watched as the mother and daughter made their way silently across to the door leading to the staircase. Once they had left the main floor, Kaneki let out a sigh.

"... Are they ghouls?" Kaneki asked, a bit unsure if they actually were or not. After all, they looked just like a normal mother and child.

"Yeah." Touka answered back.

"Weird, aren't they going to order something?" Hide piped in with a question of his own.

"They only come here to pick up their "package"." Touka further explained. Although Hide seemed to understand what she had hinted at, Kaneki was still looking as if though he was at a loss. "You know? Meat."

"Err… W-Why's that?"

"... They can't hunt for themselves." Touka, beginning to be aggravated, explained bitterly.

"Is that something that can be decided on? I suppose for the old people or for women…" Pissed, Touka let out a loud groan.

"Oh my god, you're annoying the hell out of me! If you want to know, just go ask them!" Turning around, Touka stormed away while muttering. Once they were left alone, Hide let out a snicker as he turned to face Kaneki.

"Did I… Did I ask too many questions?"

"Just a little." Hide chuckle as he composed himself. "Whew, but seriously, it's not really your fault dude, you were just curious." Hide assured as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "But yeah, I didn't know that there were ghouls who couldn't hunt humans either."

* * *

"Shit… That brat… Should have gone through here…" A grizzled ghoul muttered through the darken alleys of the city. "Goddammit!" He shouted as he slammed his fist angrily against the bricked wall beside him. "I completely lost sight of him… I should be able to spot that pointed head… Fuck! I'm starving..." Just as the man begun to lose hope, he looked up to see a stick-thin old man shuffling through the alley across from him. "Well even he's okay…" He muttered to himself as he begun to sprint toward him. Leaping in the air, the man drooled as he caught sight of his next meal. "I mean, I'm fine with anyone at all!" Looking up, the old man silently clicked his suitcase open. In one swipe, the ghoul's eyes shot wide open in shock. "Huh!?" Upon impact, he let out a wail of pain as his limbs flew off from his body in different directions.

"My my, you leapt right into the fire…" The old man chuckled as he swept back his long white bangs from his forehead. "Article 12, Clause 1 of the Anti-Ghoul Act:" He begun as he approached the ghoul. "A species, against which special precautions should be taken, known as ghouls are distinct in that it is confirmed that they can produce kakugan and kagune."

"Do-Don't tell me… It can't be…" The ghoul muttered to himself in shock as he watched the frail man come closer. "Y-Y-You're joking, right!?"

"Same article, Clause 2," the man continued as he ignored the ghoul's cries, "In relation to the target group distinguished as ghouls, there are no laws which protect those individuals." Outside the alley, the tearing and shredding of bone and flesh were masked with agonizing screams, but only for a moment before turning into gargling. Stepping into the shadows of the same alley, a tall man approached the older one.

"Sorry to keep you waiting; the information about the ghoul I got from…" The man's words trailed off as he looked down to see the bloodied, limbless and headless corpse of a ghoul with several punctures in his torso. "... Err, what happened here?"

"Well… I was attacked by a rather foolish ghoul."

"Ah, is that so?" The man mused with a small look of amusement. "... But of all things to think that he would aim for you."

"... This weak bastard fell right into my spider's web." The old man chuckled with a large grin spreading across his wrinkled face.

"What an extremely foolish ghoul, right Mado?"

"Indeed, Amon."

* * *

 ** _Alrighty, I'm going to start the next chapter right soon! Once again, is it too late to say sorry? Cause this joke is older than Mado's body._**


	6. Masquerade of The Unknown

**_Lol, so sorry for the late update. But um, yeah... Enjoy. And also, I thank you for your feedback!_**

* * *

From the corner of the alley, underneath the shroud of night, a tall, well-built man with silver hair and stubble stood silently; his immovable stone-like glare was hidden underneath the black hood of his overcoat. Peeking carefully from the corner, he watched as Amon and Mado finished disposing of what was left of the ghoul into a green dufflebag. "First, we need to go to the CCG Branch Office in the 20th Ward." Mado instructed to the younger investigator as he stood victoriously over the duffle bag.

"That's true, and there's information we need to hear from the Branch Director too…" Falling silent, Amon felt unnerved suddenly as his eyes widen. Holding his breath, he quickly turned around- half expecting to see another pair of eyes meet his glance. However, when Mado turned his head over his shoulder to see where Amon had turned toward, he saw nothing but the corner of a building.

"... Amon, what's wrong?"

"... Nothing… I just felt like I was being watched." Amon reasoned as he quickly composed himself. Mado chuckled at the young man.

"You sure are on edge. I suppose someone who just graduated from the academy gets worked up over different things." Mado said jokingly as he picked up his briefcase.

"I suppose my nerves are a little too strained… Haha…" Amon added with a chuckle of his own. Hidden in the shadows alongside the building, the silver-haired man remained silent as he could hear the sound of the duffle bag being picked up. Listening carefully as their footsteps became more and more distant, the man took a moment to sigh in relief before deciding to head out.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the silver-haired man, a group of four young adults were standing recon themselves. High above on the very rooftop he had used for cover, Urie stood with a cold stare down as his eyes followed the shadowy silhouette of the man. When the man had left out of sight, Urie took a deep sniff of the man's scent. Making a mental note to himself, he took out an earbud before turning to face his teammates. "Saiko (Fat ass), have you too gotten a whiff of his stench as well?" Urie asked the short and chubby girl with two-long blue pigtails. Seeing as she was too busy indulging herself with her video game and she candy, Urie could only sigh as he blamed himself for even bothering to ask such a question to someone like her. To his side, he caught a glimpse of the green-haired adult standing beside him as his eyes scanned over the horizon at nothing in particular. "Tooru," he called out next to him, "You seemed troubled."

"I… It's nothing..." Tooru replied as he shook his head. Normally, Urie couldn't care any less about what was on his colleagues' minds; however, he had learned in the academy that operational stress management was crucial for the success of a mission.

"Is there something wrong (Please say no)?"

"Yeah, he's worried about those two dudes." Ginshi replied back in a rather-loud voice. After earning a shush from Urie, he held his hand over mouth before chuckling. "Oops, sorry about that Kuki." Ignoring his apology, Urie turned his attention back toward Tooru, who instantly looked away upon meeting his unreadable stare.

"Is that true?"

"... I don't want them hurt." Tooru said with a sigh as he put his hands in his pockets.

"And we're your comrades; I think the choice is obvious who's more important (Idiot)." Urie snapped back, hopping that saying that would enlighten Tooru's view. Unfortunately, this only earned him a distraught stare from the adult.

"Please Urie, Kaneki's really sweet, he wouldn't-"

"So you know one of them personally?" Wincing, Tooru felt his heart beginning to race even faster as he could feel sweat beginning to form on his forehead. "What about the other one? Are you familiar with him as well?" Urie asked, but was met with silence from the male adult as he silently shook his head. "... We'll speak more about this in the morning..."

* * *

"... A… Mask?" Kaneki repeated, unsure if he had heard Yoshimura wrong.

"Correct, I think you should also have a mask. We all carry one." Yoshimura said with a nod as he placed the cappuccino cups down on a rack to dry. Hide stood with a bottle of wash-spray in one hand and a rag in the other, but set both items down on the counter as he gave a perplexed stare at the manager as well.

"I think it's a bit late for Kaneki and I to have masks at this point." Hide frowned as he placed two hands over the spot where his kagune rested on his back. "After all, I'm sure those secret-squirrel-dudes have records or something about Kaneki and I."

"Also, from what I understand, the CCG is there to combat bad ghouls, right? So if we're merely just selling coffee here, what danger do we pose?" Kaneki added on. Touka turned off the faucet as she turned to face Kaneki with a glare. "... What?"

"Just do what he says." She spoke flatly.

"Tokua." Yoshimura addressed as he turned over to face her.

"... Yes?" Her facial expression dropped as she expected herself some sort of comment from the older man on her behavior. "What is it?"

"On your next day off, would you mind taking Kaneki and Hide to get his mask made?" Even worse than she had thought. Her face dropped and her eyes shot open as she took a step back in shock.

"WHAT!?" She screamed as her mouth fell agape. "Why do I have to spend my day off with… WITH THAT GUY!?" She demanded as she pointed a finger toward Kaneki.

"... What about Hide?" Kaneki mumbled as he felt put on the spot.

"Kaneki will get lost if he goes on his own… And he'll be too scared to be alone with Uta." Yoshimura reasoned. This only further humiliated Kaneki, who turned his head toward Hide, who was trying to repress a snicker.

"... That's… That's certainly true…" As much as she hated to admit it, her manager was right about that. "... But, he doesn't _REALLY_ need a mask that much, does he?" Touka questioned before pointing toward Hide. "I mean, I think Hide could be of some use to us, but Kaneki will probably just end up crying when he's in danger." No longer wanting to hear anymore insults, Kaneki sighed as he left toward the exit.

"... I'll be waiting outside Hide." Kaneki muttered before closing the door. Touka raised her hand toward where the young bookworm had been with a 'I told you so' face. Yoshimura placed a hand on Hide's shoulder as he shook his head.

"I heard… Something from Yomo." Yoshimura said a grim look on his face.

"Yomo, huh?" Touka asked- intrigued now rather than annoyed. Yoshimura nodded.

"I heard that two investigators are in our ward… Thinking of it that way, I'd like for the two of them to have masks as soon as possible…" Touka's eye moved over to where Hide was, and let out a sigh to gather her thoughts.

"... Okay then." She muttered before turning to Hide. "Saturday, 4:30, meet me at the Shinjuku Station at the east entrance. Try not to be late…" In an attempt to lighten up her mood, Hide flashed a cheeky grin with a wink.

"Don't worry, I'll show up fashionably early just for you." Touka rolled her eyes as she let out a half chuckle. "See ya guys!" Hide waved as he left the cafe to head outside to meet his best friend. Nudging the bookworm on the shoulder, Hide earned an annoyed look from Kaneki. "Hey man, you alright?"

"I guess…" Kaneki muttered as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Hide… I _really_ would rather not go with you guys on Saturday." Letting down his grin, Hide perked up as he noticed the look of sincerity in his best friend's eyes.

"Bro, you can't just avoid her all the time. Just give her time; she'll warm up to you eventually." Hide reasoned as he patted his friend's back. However, the look in Kaneki's eyes hadn't changed from Hide's attempt at reassurance. Without anything more than a breathing out a sigh, Kaneki wordlessly begun to head home with Hide following suite after realizing the bookworm's sudden intitive.

* * *

 **I knew I was being a bit immature the way I sort of brushed Hide off outside Anteiku, but honestly, what else could I have done? This was Hide, there was no way that I'd be able to slip by with a lie. As we walked down the settling streets back to his apartment, the full moon above reflected the beauty of the night sky and the hustle of the dimming city lights around us. It was comforting to say the least, and made the silence between us more bearable.**

* * *

Being polite as he could for his friend's sake, Hide quickened his pace to move ahead of Kaneki to hold the door open for him. However, the young man stopped in his tracks upon reaching the doorway without as much as turning on the lights inside. Confused, Hide felt his eyebrow arched up as he leaned his head in closer to be able to read Kaneki's face better. "Hide…" Kaneki said in a quiet voice as he slowly turned his head to be greeted by his best friend's chocolate-brown eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"Hey man, don't sweat it." Hide said with a small smile across his lips as he raised his hand up to playfully mess his friend's hair. "You know… You don't have to go if you don't want to." Almost not believing what he had heard, Kaneki felt his heart drop at what he heard.

"Are you sure? I don't want to bail on you just because I was acting sort of immature."

"Nah man, we're just going to get masks, right? I'll just pick you up something from the store; I don't think Touka will care." Hide said reassuringly. It was then that Hide's infectious smile finally made Kaneki grin in delight.

"Thank you, Hide!"

"Don't mention man… No come on, let's see what we have to eat."

* * *

 _His vision of pure white faded away gently as he felt the comforting wind and sunlight beam down on him as he took a long breath. Awakening to find himself seated outside at the patio table, Kaneki relaxed as he took in his surroundings of the familiar, yet still mysterious, realm he had become acquainted with. There on the table in front of him was a white cup presented on top of a white plate. "Good to see you again, Kaneki." Arata greeted as he placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Instead of greeting the man back, Kaneki turned his head over his shoulder to stare at Arata._

 _"... Why didn't you tell me you were related to Touka?" Kaneki asked in hushed tone as he felt his stare harden. Arata gave an empathetic smile at the young man as he patted his shoulder gently._

 _"I thought it would be better for you to find out." Arata said. "After all, would you have believed me even if I did tell you?" Even with the soothing outdoor setting, Kaneki begun to become frustrated as he clenched his hands into fists._

 _"I don't even know what to believe anymore…!" He muttered through gritted teeth as he grasped the sides of the table. "None of this even makes sense! Why doesn't Hide see Rize like how I see you?! What is it that I feel when my kagune activates, and why can't I control it?! Enough of these games already!" Kaneki shouted. Standing up from his seat, he quickly turned around and shoved Arata's hand away as he glared at the still empathic father. "ANSWER ME!" Kaneki screamed as he cletched his fists harder at his sides. Arata stood silently in front of the hyperventilating young man. Patiently, the blue haired man waited for the bookworm's breathing to slow back down and his fists to fall flat to his sides. Once Kaneki appeared to have calmed down, Arata let out a small chuckle as he smiled._

 _"You act like Touka when you're upset; it's adorable." Hearing this, Kaneki felt his cheeks begin to heat up as he crossed his arms with a frown. "To be fair though, I don't blame you for acting like that; I can understand how frustrating it must be to see a dead man in your dreams."_

 _"... How… How did you-"_

 _"-That doesn't matter." Arata interrupted as he raised his hand up. "What matters now is that you don't make the same mistake as me."_

 _"Mistake? What do you mean?"_

 _"I mean what happened when you lost control of yourself when you fought Nishiki." As Arata said this, his expression took on a darker tone. "Kaneki, your kagune was my kakuja… That urge to destroy those who threatened you and your loved ones… The blind hatred to do anything you can do to ensure you can protect your friends… Those feelings that burdened you when you're kagune activated all sprouted from my own tainted soul." Arata looked down toward the grass beside the young man as his frown turned into a smile full of sorrow. "Kaneki… I can't tell you why I'm here, because honestly, I don't know why either... But my wife tells me that the reason why I'm stuck in this purgatory is that I'm not ready to move on… Tell me Kaneki, what is it that she means by that...?"_

 _"... I can't say, Mr. Kirishima; I don't know either…" Kaneki said in a soft tone as he looked over toward the cup that sat on the table. "Your wife… I presume that she's deceased as well, but… but is that whom you get the ingredients for the coffee from?" Arata nodded, still looking away from Kaneki as he did so. Walking over to the table, Kaneki lifted the handle of the cup up to his face to see a reddish-brown brew inside that smelt like raspberries and rain. "... I still don't know what any of this means, seeing you and all, but… but if you don't know either, then I suppose we're both in the dark then." As Arata continued to stare off, he felt the younger man's hand resting on his shoulder. Looking in front of him, he was surprised to see a smile on Kaneki's face as he begun to take sips from the cup. "I do believe that perhaps your wife is guiding you, and by extension, me… What is her name by the way?" Any hint of sorrow and regret disappeared from the older man's face in turn for a more bright and hopeful grin that shined as bright as the celestial light above. As the white light from above begun to return the young man back to the realm of the living, Arata's lips parted with a joyful quiver._

 _"Her name… Her name is Hikari."_

* * *

 **I woke up feeling refreshed that morning, and looking out the window, I could tell that it must have still been early. Even so, I felt so energized that I couldn't fall back asleep. Inside the shower, as the warm relaxing water rained down over my body, I couldn't help but keep muttering her name to myself. Hikari… What is it that you're after?**

* * *

Turning off the faucet, Kaneki brushed the shower curtains to the side as he stepped out to dry himself off with the towel he brought with him. Using his shoulder, he hung the towel on himself as he made his way to the sink to brush his teeth. However, as he begun to brush, he found himself entranced by his own reflection. There wasn't anything off about what he saw in the mirror, but even so, he couldn't take his eyes away from himself. He thought to himself as he slowly continued to brush. It felt as though he was truly seeing himself for the first time, as ridiculous as that sounded to him. It took a knock at the bathroom door to break him out of his existential episode and back to reality. "Hey man, hurry up; I gotta go!" Hide squealed in a panicked tone from the other side of the door. Kaneki shook his head with a small chuckle as he spat into the sink before rinsing his mouth.

"I'm almost done Hide." Kaneki reassured his full-bladdered friend. No sooner when he took the first step outside the bathroom, Hide pushed Kaneki out of the way before slamming the door behind him. Hearing a sigh of relief followed by a stream of liquid hitting the inside of the bowl, Kaneki decided it was best if he took his leave to make himself something to eat.

* * *

"Hikari…" He muttered to himself as he poured himself a bowl of cereal and milk. While he ate, he took out his phone and found that he had a message from Tooru.

' _Kaneki, can you meet me at the Shinjuku park around two? I'd like to go for a walk.'_

"A walk…?" Kaneki muttered to himself. Looking out through the kitchen window, he could see only a few clouds above in the morning sky. It seemed like an ideal day for him to spend the day catching up with Mutsuki, especially about his latest dream. "It's pretty much a vision of some kind at this point…" He mused to himself as he took another spoonful of cheerios into his mouth. Just then, he could hear the familiar footsteps of his best friend making his way to the fridge. "Good morning, Hide; sorry if I took long in the bathroom this morning." Hide turned around with a smile and five apples resting in his arms before shrugging.

"No worries, I just had to pee really bad." Hide chuckled as he closed the fridge before seating himself next to Kaneki. "By the way, nice job at controlling the way you eat." Hide compliment. Kaneki smiled; it was true that he still felt the urge to devour whatever was in front of him with speeds that would put a pack of piranhas to shame, it still was nice of someone to notice his efforts.

"Thank you, Hide; how about…" Just before Kaneki could finish his question, in a blink of an eye, Hide had already devoured four apples and was just about to take the first bite into last one before noticing Kaneki's stare.

"Oh… Uh…" Hide chuckled nervously as he pretended to wipe the apple on his white shirt before inspecting it. "I'm working on it…" He muttered as he strained to eat the apple in a slower fashion. "So… Any special requests for when I go get our masks?"

"I really don't mind what you give me, just as long as it doesn't look too… Well, just pick something that isn't too silly please." Kaneki said as he stood up to wash his bowl. "Speaking of which, I'm going to the Shinjuku park with Tooru at two o'clock, so I might see you around depending on how long that takes."

"Same goes for you; I'll try to make the visit short so I can swing by and hang out with you two. Hell, I'll try to ask Touka is she'd like to come if that's okay with you." Although the first answer he wanted to reply back was with a no, Kaneki took a moment to see the pleading look in Hide's eyes. Reluctantly, Kaneki bit back his tongue for a moment to allow himself to muster up a proper response.

"Sure, if she wants to…"

"Don't worry Kaneki, it'll be fine. And thanks."

* * *

 **With the free time I had, I decided to spend reading after texting back Tooru that I would be able to meet him there. With the recent turn of events involving me becoming part time employed at Anteiku, I haven't had nearly as much time as I used to have, so picking up 'The Black Goat's Egg' after not having read it recently was exciting for me. However, the grim and tragic setting of the story hadn't been what I thought it was before. I didn't know what it was, but… But I felt disconnected with the characters in the story, and overall, I'd lost interest in the book after spending two hours trying to get back into it as I read on. The clock had read ten, and already I didn't want to read the book anymore. Bored and desperate for a good read, I searched through the small bookshelf that Hide kept in the living room. Unfortunately, I had found only an array of comic books, text books, and several magazines containing pictures of women that I'd rather not describe. I had almost given up hope for finding anything worth reading, that is until I found a book with a white cover with gold font reading 'Year of the Unicorn'. Interested, I had thought about reading it, but then I remember that Tooru enjoyed fantasy books, especially ones with unicorns. So sticking the book in my messenger's bag, I decided to surprise him with it so we could read it together.**

* * *

The afternoon sky proved to be just as sunny and cloudy as it had been in the previous hours beforehand, and with the sun radiating brilliantly down, Kaneki sat at a park bench. Patiently waiting for the arrival of his friend, Kaneki rested his hand on top of the messenger bag he kept on his lap. He watched from nearby as two children played together inside a sandbox. They were both girls who had dolls in their hands; nothing too out of the ordinary for a typical Saturday. He might have been overthinking things as usual, but Kaneki couldn't help but notice that there were no other adults around. Infact, for a sunny Saturday at the park, there were hardly any people there at all. It was then that one of the two girls caught sight of Kaneki staring at them, and stood up before running toward him with a smile on her face. Confused, Kaneki could only smile back as the blond girl stood infront of him. "Hey mister, are you Kaneki Ken?" Caught off guard by the girl knowing his name, he felt uneasy as he struggled to keep his smile present.

"Um, yes I am. But um… Who told you my name?"

"I don't know who he was, but it was some guy dressed up like a knight wearing a helmet." He no longer could hide his concern from the little girl no longer after receiving that unexpected answer.

"... A knight?" Kaneki asked in disbelief.

"Yep, he gave my sister and I dolls if we told you that he wanted to meet you… Um…" Turning slightly away from the dumbstruck young man, the girl pointed her finger toward a far off area with trees obscuring the isolated area. "Over there; he said that if you didn't go, he'll find someone named uh… Hideyoshi?" No longer able to keep his cool, Kaneki hopped off the bench and turned to sprint off toward the thicke of the woods. Despite his legs trembling, and his reluctance to meet this strange man, he knew that there was no way in hell he would risk Hide's safety. "Good luck mister! And tell him that we said thanks for the toys!"

* * *

What would normally be a thirty minute walk took Kaneki three minutes to reach as he brushed aside some of the surrounding bushes that bordered the tree-ridden area. ' _Shit… Shit… Who the hell is this guy? And why does he want to even see me?... Damnit!'_ Kaneki cursed to himself as he aimlessly sprinted forward into the forest. ' _Okay, okay… Calm down Kaneki… Let's take a moment to analyze our surroundings…'_ Slowing his full on sprint down to a job, then into a fast paced walk, Kaneki scanned his surroundings for anywhere that could be considered a suitable place to confront the stranger. It didn't take him long to find an open area surrounded by trees to settle his feet down at. "... Uh… H-Hey! I'm here!" Kaneki shouted; the uncomfortable silence was only broken by the occasional bird or insect. Beginning to sweat, Kaneki could feel his heart race as all he could do is think who this mysterious man was. And how could he know both his and Hide's name? "Wait…" Kaneki muttered to himself as his eyes shot wide open. "... Damnit, Hide…" Kaneki sighed as he felt like a fool. Of course Hide would plan something as jeering as making him run into the woods like a madman. "I mean… A knight? Really?" Kaneki laughed sarcastically to himself as he raised his arms up. "I can't believe I actually fell for that…" Turning around, he let out a frustrated groan as he shoved his hands into his pockets. ' _Hide… Ugh! He's gonna get it for this… I'll have to prank him just as hard, if not harder! I bet Touka helped him plan it out too; those jerks. I'll… I'll feed Hide a Viagra sandwich and give slip some laxative in Touka's coffee at , that's what I'll do! They won't mess with me any-'_ Kaneki felt himself shudder as he felt his kagune suddenly crawl up to guard the back of his neck. "... Wh-" Was all he had time to cough out before feeling a sharp blade collide with the back of his armored-neck. Rolling forward from the force, Kaneki let out a yelp as his back landed against the trunk of a tree. In a daze, he looked up to see a red light glisten in the sunlight that broke through the treetops. As the blade swung down toward his head, Kaneki tucked his chin in as he rolled away from the incoming attack. Before he could pick himself up, he felt the air escape from his lungs as the assailant punted him back to the grassy patches of the earth. Grunting, he used the momentum of his fall to roll back up to his feet; giving him enough time to instinctively clamp his hands together in front of him in time to catch the glowing blade. He hadn't had time to notice, but his kagune now covered his entire body; the blue glistering light from his armor was reflected from the black visor of the man's helmet. Having only a moment to take in the appearance of his attacker, Kaneki noticed that the alleged knight's armor resembled his own, except the man seemed slimmer than his own scrawny body. The armor however, appeared to be consisted of dark-green plating with a smooth and tight tan-colored threading underneath. Not an inch of skin was visible.

"Let go, bastard!" The muffled voice of the attacker cried out. Without waiting, the knight jumped over Kaneki, and with the momentum of the fall, swung down as hard as he could. However, rather than letting go of the blade, Kaneki gritted his teeth as he countered the knight's attack by pulling down on the sword; taking it away from the armored foe. Rolling back to his feet once more, Kaneki looked down to see that the blade at cut away at the armor covering his palm and revealed his light skin underneath.

"Cut it out! There's no point in fighting!" Kaneki shouted as he adjusted the handle so that he was holding it up straight with his right hand.

* * *

 **This was only the second fight I've ever been in my life, and this was completely insane. Why was there some knight or whatever the hell it was trying to be luring me out in the woods just to try and get the drop on me? Hundreds of questions were circling in my head at the very moment, but for whatever reason, none of that mattered. All I knew, is that I had to fight for my life, and Hide's too.**

* * *

"Who are you?! How do you know me and my friend?!" Kaneki demanded as he pointed the tip of the blade toward the knight. "... Answer me!" Kaneki screamed as he glared bitterly toward the knight. Feeling his forehead beginning to pound, he let out a grunt of pain before wailing out in agony as the blue lights radiating from his kagune transform into a brilliant red. As the pain continued to get worse, there was only one thought that entered his mind: Destroy. Although he had never once used a sword in his life, that didn't matter to the berserking young man as he swung the blade sideways with a lunge. The knight however, had pulled out two black-small knives from the hips of his armor before parrying the man's attack. The blade, now glowing red like his kagune, emitted steam from the collision from the two knives. Pulling back, Kaneki leapt backwards in time to avoid being impaled by the two piercing blades and tried coming back with a kick to the knight's legs. However, the knight was more than prepared for his attack, and raised his own leg up to brush himself pass Kaneki and position himself behind him. The knight swept his leg down, and Kaneki let out a gasp as he felt himself fall forward; along with his weapon that landed feet away from where he had crashed. Landing on the ground, Kaneki tried to get back up, but only managed to turn himself with his back on the ground before being pounced on by the knight. "Why…" Kaneki muttered under his grunts as he tried to hold back the knight's hand as it brought down one of the blades of the knives closer to his neck. "Why are you doing this…?"

"... You and Hide should have just went home."

"You… You leave Hide out of this!" Feeling his left hand growing tired, Kaneki focused his strength on his right hand, and took notice how the red lights from his right arm begun to glow brighter as his left arm became dimmer. ' _I'm not going to die… Neither is Hide.'_ He knew that the knight had the advantage of only having to push down, so he had to act fast. Reluctantly, he released all strength he had in his left arm and focused all of his energy toward his right hand. Extending from his arm was an intense heat that visibly covered his entire arm in a red light. Swinging the transparent blade of red light up, the knight let out a cry of agony as the heat disintegrated the armor from his left hand to all the way up to his shoulder. With his left hand, Kaneki made a fist and delivered a strike into the knight's visor; knocking the knight off him. With his right arm exhausted, Kaneki let out a cry of pain as the red light dimmed down and returned to a cool blue. Struggling to get up, Kaneki felt his right arm hang limp against his side before rushing over to kick in the visor of the knight; causing the assailant to fall flat on his stomach. "You… You have a lot to answer for…" Kaneki gasped as he leaned down to pick up the guardless sword from the ground. Hobbling over, Kaneki could feel his vision beginning to blur as he approached the defeated knight. "I…" Kaneki whispered as the sword fell back down on the grassy patch they were on. Kaneki felt his buckling knees beginning to give way, and it didn't take long after until he too collapsed beside the fallen knight.

* * *

"Here it is." Touka said plainly as she nodded her head toward the open sign on the wooden door. Hide looked over to the wall near two decorated barrels and a stand-up sign to see a black stencil of a sun with a 'Hy' on top and a 'Sy' on the bottom.

"ArtMask Studio, huh?" Hide mused as he rested his head on his interlocked hands behind him. "This is a really suspicious looking place Touka."

"Whatever, I didn't build this place." Touka shrugged as she held on to the demonic-looking ornament of the door to give it a few knocks before opening the door. Taking a step on to the black and white checkered floor, Hide chuckled uneasily at the sight of a skeleton with a half-mask standing beside the main entrance. "Uta, are you here?" Touka called out as Hide begun to look at the various masks that hung on the wall. One that caught his attention was a white clown mask with a large lipped-grin that had an X and a heart drawn for the eyes.

"Is this what you meant when you said you wanted Kaneki and I to get a mask?" Hide asked as he continued to browse the art of the shop.

"Well, duh." Touka said as she rolled her eyes. Searching for Uta, Touka had found herself resorting into looking through large cardboard boxes, but with no luck. "I guess he already went home…" Meanwhile, Hide came across a white-blanket covering what looked like a statue. Curious to see what the statue was wearing, Hide grabbed hold of the ominous cloth before pulling it off.

"... Uh, Touka?" Hide called out.

"What, did you find… What are you doing Uta?" Crouching down, the slender man stared at Hide. The man was of average height with black hair, styled into an undercut. Various tattoos covered his arms were visible through his gray tank top and black wrap sweater. His eyes were black and red, which only made Hide feel all the more creeped out.

"... I thought I'd try to scare him…" Uta said casually as he looked up toward Hide. "... But he only made it awkward."

"Hey…!" Hide said defensively as the man stood up to make his way toward the bench beside where Touka stood.

"... Uta is the person who makes the ghoul masks." Touka explained as she stuck her hands into her plaid shorts.

"I'm Uta…"

"Yeah, I kind of got that." Hide said sarcastically as he begun to look at the man's

appearance more. "Holy shit, you've got some nice piercings and tattoos going on; that's pretty cool man!" Hide squealed as he leaned his to get a closer look at the man's arms. "I'm Hide, nice to meet… Um, what?" Hide asked with a deadpan expression as he begun to feel the other man sniffing around his neck. "... Uh, yea... That's cool too, I guess…" Leaning away from Hide's destroyed personal bubble, Uta looked up with an eerie stare as he looked him in the eye.

"You're the one of the boys who Yoshimura mentioned…? Your scent is unusual."

"Thanks, I use Old Spice deodorant."

"Uta… You're being weird again." Touka commented from afar.

"Oh… Sorry about that." Uta apologized as he stood up and away from Hide's personal

space. "... This guy needs a mask, doesn't he Touka?"

"Yeah… Me and his dumb dweeby friend need one too. We all have to be cautious for now." Touka said with a nod.

"... Seems some police investigators have been loitering around. I heard they found Renji too." Uta informed as he looked down at the tools he would need.

"Ah yeah… Yomo said so." Touka replied back. "Did you hear about that from the manager?"

"Yeah… But usually those people tend to leave the 20th ward alone since it's docile…" What had left the tattooed man's mouth made Hide's eyes shoot wide open.

"As expected, it was due to Rize's influence…" Touka said with a sigh as she brushed her fingers through her thick bangs.

"If that's the case, then that woman really was the worst…"

"Hey uh… You mean the 20th ward is a peaceful area?" Hide questioned as he watched Uta turn around to look at him from the corner of his blackened-eye. "I don't really think it's that calm, you know...?" Uta remained silent for a moment as he continued to eye up Hide before speaking.

"You wouldn't understand unless you've been to one of the other wards back then." Uta countered in a calm manner. "Wards 1 through 4 were at one point uninhabitable… And the 13th ward had so much bloodshed, that only the brave or foolish traversed it."

"Used to be? What happened?"

"... There used to be a lot more of us ghouls back then, and there were often a lot of disputes over places to eat… You don't see it nearly as often as one would back in the day, but on some lucky nights, one can see a show of cannibalism… But that's rare now, so count your blessings if you do see one…"

"Those CCG bastards keep getting stronger and larger… They keep wiping us out with no mercy, and there's just so many of them..." Touka growled as she cletched her fists. "Fuckers…"

"... The 20th ward is nice though… and peaceful…" Uta said in his own way to attempt in lightening up the mood. "It has Anteiku, and it's huge… Sit down Hide, I'm going to measure you." Patting the empty stool beside him, Uta gave Hide an innocent stare as he patiently waited for to begin his work. Reluctant, Hide hesitantly made his way over to the man to take a seat beside him. "First, a few questions. Do you have any allergies? To rubber or metals…?"

"I don't think so…" Hide answered back the best he could as Uta prodded his fingers in his cheek.

"Do you want a full faced one? But I think half face is okay for a start…"

"Dude, it's up to you."

"How do you feel about eye patches? Do you think they're cute?"

"Uh… Umm… I guess?" Hide shrugged as he looked up to see Uta licking on an eyeball. Doing his best, Hide avoided sight of the other man's snack with a shudder.

"Go it… Now then, what should I ask next…" Uta mused aloud as he begun to sketch up notes on the notepad he kept on his table. "... Hide, do you have any lovers?" Ignoring the oddities the man had presented him with, Hide put on a goofy grin as he felt his cheeks blushing. "Do you think girls younger than you are cuter than the ones that are the same age as you? Or is it that you like older girls instead?"

"Hey man, I don't discriminate." Hide said playfully as he ignored Uta chomping down on the eyeball. "... By the way, is there a connection to these questions and making the mask…?"

"Very much so. The more I know about you, the greater my motivation will be…"

"So I can still buy a mask from you for my friend Kaneki, right?"

"It'll cost a little more, but I think I can make an exception for those who work at Anteiku." Uta reassured as he brought the measuring tape out. "Speaking of which… What do you think about Touka? Think she's cute?"

"How could I not? Just look at her…!" Hide whispered as he nodded toward the young woman in question. "But what do I think of her…? If I'll be honest, I see her as a really hard worker."

"Then you and I think alike." Uta mused as he pulled the tape back from Hide's face. "... It can be said it's like walking a tightrope for us ghouls to blend into a human place… Every second is spent wondering "Can I continue or will I fall?"... If your feet get tangled along the way, you'll end up at the bottom of Hell… And if you don't cross the whole distance, in that instant, everything will disappear…"

"I guess Touka's walking a pretty tight rope then, huh?" Hide mused as he looked toward her with a look of empathy. "Not only with her job at Anteiku, but she has to be careful with school and the friends she has there." Uta held his chin; impressed with the young man's perspective. "Makes you wonder why she chooses to associate with humans and even Kaneki and I… Even though it exposes her to such great danger…?"

"... What, indeed." Uta said with a nod. "It's certainly true that you can segregate yourself off and live safely… But… Hm… I also occasionally have a human customer come into the shop… At that time… I get excited... I can't explain it well, but I'm really happy to have them." Uta felt a small smile spread across his lips for just a faint moment before returning back to his bored expression. "... Alright, I'm finished taking your measurements. After I finish the mask, I'll send it to Anteiku. What about your friend? Anything catch your eye?"

* * *

"Hey, you." Touka called out as she looked over to her side at Hide relaxing his head in his hands. "Uta crept you the hell out, didn't he?" She said jeeringly with a smile as she elbowed his ribs. Looking up at the night-cloudy sky above, Hide shrugged as the two walked toward train station.

"Honestly, he was a bit weird, yeah." Hide admitted as he looked forward once the overhead of the train station obscured his view of the night sky. "But he's totally different from how he looks. The way he talks is very kind too… By the way, what are the masks used for?"

"Haah!? You didn't even know, but you still came!?" Touka shouted in disbelief.

"I mean, yeah; I was sort of told to."

"Geez… That manager… He didn't even explain something so crucial…" She grumbled in frustration. "I'm pretty sure you know what a ghoul investigator is, right? Did you and your nerd friend have an encounter with one when you two were attacked by Rize?"

"Yeah… What about them?"

"... Those insane bastards are itching to kill all ghouls… If we expose our real faces to those guys and then we don't finish them off, it'll become a troublesome affair for us… Therefore, we wear the mask."

"... I guess that would make sense, but um, they already have their own file on both Kaneki and I… Soooooo… Yeah."

"If they are able to match your face and your true identity, then no matter how you think about it that would be bad. So… Yeah."

"That's... Reassuring…"

"Whatever; just pray to God that they lost your files underneath a mountain of paperwork or some other federal bullshit… By the way, did you still want to hang out with those two shy guys still?"

"You mean Mutsuki and Kaneki?"

"Yeah, them." Touka said with a nod. "It's a bit late, but I'm still up for a walk in the park if you are." Looking down at his phone, Hide felt disappointment when he noticed that he had received no messages from his best friend. Noticing this, Touka took a step closer to Hide and smiled. "Come on, it'll be better if it's just us anyway; less whining."

* * *

Night had fallen over Anteiku, and inside the guest room laid Hinami. The young girl rested her head on top of her mother's lap as she laid fast asleep. Meanwhile, Ryouko sat awake with a chipped mask held in her hand. She had thought about going to sleep, but was kept awake as she could only stare longfully at the mask. "... Father…" Looking down, she felt her heart ache at the sight of tears mildly dripping down from her daughter's cheek. Suddenly, there came a knocking from downstairs where the entrance to Anteiku was. It was loud enough to wake Hinami from her slumber. "Mother… Who's at the door?" She asked through a yawn as she looked up. Just as curious as her daughter, but cautious as any mother should be, Ryouko patted her daughter on the head before getting up from the couch.

"Stay here, honey, I'll go see who it is." Ryouko ordered as she made her way to leave the room.

"Be careful mother…" Hinami said in worry for her mother's safety more so than her own. Not wanting to worry her, Ryouko smiled gently at her beloved child.

"Don't worry honey, I always am." She reassured before closing the door. "Lock the door though!" She called out from outside in the hallway.

"Yes, mother!" Hinami said in compliance to her mother's wishes. After hearing the doorknob click, Ryouko begun carefully crept downstairs; making sure to be quiet and keep the lights off so her presence wasn't known. Crouching down, she cautiously pushed herself up to look through the blinds of the door. There outside at the doorstep, laid a man with his back facing upward with a messenger's bag beside him.

"Goodness…" She gasped as she opened the door. "... Kaneki?!" She gasped as she saw the young man unmoving; his clothes were matted with dirt and torn from the back. Without wasting anytime, she leaned down and scoped up the young man in her arms and placed her ear near his mouth. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard him still breathing. Peeking her head outside, she looked around for the one who had dropped his unconscious body off, only to see the surrounding streets and alleys vacant of anyone. She took the effort in leaning down once more to pick up the messanger bag as well. After closing the door, she locked it before rushing Kaneki up toward her room. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you..." Ryouko reassured, more so for herself rather than for Kaneki's sake.

* * *

 _ **Okay so a few things different, other than Kaneki fighting off the armored knight. One, I decided to make CCG's presence significantly more known and larger to compensate for Kaneki's new kagune and Hide having one as well. If there's anything you can recommend, please, shoot me a message or PM. Thank you for reading!**_


	7. Ravens and Doves

**So... Yeah. Sorry about not updating this chapter in quite sometime... Like I've said before, I don't think you want to hear an excuse for why this chapter came late. Please, enjoy! And thank you for your support!**

 **10/13/2016 Edit:  
Just realized I spelt Hinami's name wrong.**

* * *

"Mother, I think he's waking up!" Upon hearing what sounded like a child's voice, Kaneki's eyes begun to flutter open a groan escaped from his lips. His blurry vision caught sight of the light emitted from the ceiling lamp, which caused him to raise his arm to shield his eyes. However, he soon found that his right arm trembled violently as he tried to shift just but an inch on his own. However, he found himself ceasing his fruitless attempt as a soft hand found its way on the top of his hand.

"Please, try not to exert yourself." Upon looking up to see who was holding his hand, he found himself met with the gentle smile from a woman. "You're in the guestroom at Anteiku; you're safe, just take it easy…" She comforted as she massaged his right hand for assurance.

"... Mrs. Fueguchi…?" Kaneki addressed in raspy voice as he tried to lift his neck, but a pair of small hands insisted that his head would rest on the pillow of the bed. "How… How did I get here…?" Ryouko gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she brushed his bangs to comfort him.

"There was knocking on the door a few hours ago, and when I went to look, I found you with a messenger bag outside on the doorstep." She explained; leaning down from the bedside before presenting him with said bag. "I didn't see anyone outside with you… Who do you suppose brought you here?"

"It might have been Tooru… I can't say for sure…" Kaneki admitted as he tried remembering. "I only remember getting in a tussle with this weirdo in armor." Perplexed, Ryouko titled her head as she raised an eyebrow.

"... Armor?" Ryouko repeated, as to make sure she wasn't hearing wrong. Kaneki gave her a nod as he let out a long breath. "If you got into a fight, then I reckon that you must have fatigued yourself out… We'll have to let your manager know in the morning." She muttered as she stood up from the bedside. "You must be hungry, would you like something to eat?"

"Food? That… That would be nice…" Kaneki smiled as he could feel his saliva glands beginning to water up. "Um… But… I'd prefer not to eat any meat please." Judging by the surprised reactions from both the mother her daughter, Kaneki figured that they still thought of him to be a ghoul.

"You… You don't eat meat?" Ryouko questioned in complete astonishment. "I always thought Yoshimura never hired humans to work here…"

"I'm er… Hide and I are humans that have kagunes… We're called Qunix…" Ryouko mouthed what Kaneki had said to herself before returning her attention back to Kaneki's request.

"I see… Well, I suppose I could look in the kitchen downstairs to see if there's anything I can find for you… Hinami," Looking up toward her mother, the child gave a small smile upon meeting eyes with the woman, "Please go fetch Kaneki a glass of water in the meantime."

"Okay…" She said while giving a nod before leaving the room to go down the dim hallway. Having watching her the entire time before leaving her eyesight, Ryouko found herself with a gentle smile spread across her lips; and even if it was just for a minute, she felt like how things used to be for her.

"I'll be right back…" As she turned away to stand up from the side of the bed, she quietly picked up a small mask from the top of the desk. Stopping at the doorway, she looked over her shoulder at Kaneki. "Please wait." With that said, Ryouko left the door open as she went downstairs. Alone with his thoughts, Kaneki could only stare at the ceiling as he reflected on what had happened in the woods near the park.

* * *

 **What Ryouko had told me made sense to me, afterall, I don't know how much energy I put into that attack. Even so, I was a good distance away from where Tooru had told me to meet up at, and the only other people who would have known where I was supposed to be would have been Hide and most likely Touka… But surely they wouldn't have just dumped me on the doorstep like a delivered package. Hide wouldn't do that, because he's my best friend; Touka wouldn't either, but that's mostly because she lives upstairs as well. Either those kids must have told Tooru where I was, or… Or Tooru was the one who attacked me. After all, he did know where I was going to be as well as knowing Hide and I were close… I felt my heart break as I laid there in bed; the betrayal of a friend was more painful than the heavy fatigue that crippled my body. Even so though, he could have finished me off if he really wanted to.**

* * *

"... Excuse me…" Hinami said quietly as she stood patiently beside the bed. Having been preoccupied with his thoughts, it took the child's voice to snap him out of his self created trance. Looking away from the ceiling, Kaneki turned his head to be greeted with a pair of gentle yet shy eyes. In her hand was a plastic-clear cup filled with water, no doubt taken from the bathroom sink. Kaneki did his best to smile past the pain he felt, but it didn't take long for Hinami to look down toward his trembling arm. "Oh… I'm sorry, do you need help drinking?"

"... If you don't mind please…" Kaneki replied.

"Not at all." Placing the cup on the bedside table, Hinami hopped on the mattress and positioned herself beside Kaneki in a sitting position so her feet were hanging off the bed. "Here," she said as she placed one hand underneath on Kaneki's back and another on holding his arm, "Hold on as much as you can." He gave her a nod and braced himself as she lifted him up to a sitting position with his legs stretched out on the bed. Still holding on to his arm, Hinami lifted him forward so she could place the pillows underneath his back before taking the cup and bringing it to his lips. Taking a long gulp of water, Kaneki let out a refreshed sigh before laying his head back onto the pillow.

"Thank you, Hinami…" Kaneki said with nod of gratitude toward the young girl's help.

"You're… You're welcome…" She said as she hopped off the mattress and stood once again beside his bed. Kaneki couldn't help but notice the small, yet noticeable, change of expression as she stared back at him: she had on a smile.

* * *

The morning had come sooner than Kaneki would have wanted it to, however, a sweet aroma was welcoming. Groggy and still sore, Kaneki let out a small groan as he turned his head to see what smelt so good. There on the bedside table sat a white plate with a few pastries next to a white cup. Ignoring the fatigue he felt, Kaneki propped himself by his elbows until he was sitting upright while still being underneath the sheets. "Wonder who brought them up here…" He mumbled under his breath to no one in particular before reaching out to pick up one of the three pastries that had been waiting for him. To his surprise, as he bit down the sugary frosted-covered treat, he found the inside strawberry filling to be still warm. On a side note, Kaneki had also discovered that he wasn't really eating a pastry from any cafe, but rather a toaster strudel. With that fact, along with seeing the cute cat face drizzled on the cream of his cappuccino, he instantly thought of Hide. "... He might be here still." He took only but a brief moment to allow himself to scan the room for any peeping eyes before turning back to face the toaster strudels with drool running down the side of his lips. His mouth grow wide and curled into a wicked grin, his pupils dilating as he focused intently on his breakfast. As good as Kaneki had gotten with suppressing his animalistic urges to devour food with no regards to proper eating etiquette, he could only suppress his true newfound nature for so long. It was only a matter of seconds before he had engulfed all strudels and downed the cappuccino like it was a shot of hard liquor. He chuckled to himself as he wiped his mouth free of crumbs with the bed sheets as he felt his aches begin to lessen.

* * *

Near the intersection of Kamii Daigaku Mae, Hide and Kaneki sat at a park table; the cool wind of an almost cloudless sky giving way for the sun's warmth reminded Kaneki of whatever place Arata had taken residency in. It was both a comfort as well as an oddity for the bookworm to say the least. "Kaneki, you're…" Hide trailed off as he sat parallel from his best friend.

"Hm?" Having been lost in thought, Kaneki almost shook with surprise upon hearing Hide.

"You're starting to look a lot better." Hide said with a soft smirk on his lips.

"Is that so?"

"Yep." Hide chuckled lightly. Extending his index finger out toward Kaneki's face, Hide gave the shy bookworm a gentle tap on the nose before retracing his arm back to the table. "You sort of gave me a spook last night, buddy." Grimacing, Kaneki let out a small sigh as he ran his hand over his face. "Yeah, just imagine the look I must have when Tooru called me…"

"Tooru? Tooru called you? When?"

"Last night, during my date with Touka nonetheless."

"… You went on a date, Hide?" Kaneki asked with a bit of skepticism on his face.

"It was a walk through the park… Literally." Hide said shrugging.

"Hide, we walk through the park all the time; I don't think that counts-"

"Whatever Kaneki!" Hide said with a groan. "The point is, do you remember anything from last night?" Opening his mouth to reply, Kaneki found himself stopping.

"I think I was in a fight?... Yeah, it was a fight." Kaneki nodded as he continued to recollect on the events. "They were… In armor."

"Armor? What kind of armor?"

"... The armor looked like… Erm, sort of like knight armor, but it was all decorated and looked… I don't know how to describe it Hide… Perhaps steampunk?"

"So like, you got in a fight with a raver?"

"No, I mean… Ugh, I'll just try and draw what I can remember when we go home." Nodding his head, Hide grabbed hold of the plastic bottle of water he had gotten from Anteiku. Taking a gulp of water, he wiped his mouth off with the sleeve of his jacket before offering it to Kaneki, who smiled as he accepted his offer. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it…" Hide replied back before sinking into his chair with a sigh. "To be honest, it'll probably be best if we stop by the house first so you could just draw the picture; Yoshimura wanted to speak to you about it later today." Finishing his swig, Kaneki closed the cap of the bottle before setting it down on the table.

"If he wanted to ask me about it, why didn't he just do that instead of giving you and I a three hour break?" Hide shrugged at Kaneki's question in a lazy fashion.

"Hell if I know; probably just wanted me to help you clear your head before immediately interrogating you." While Kaneki simply looked down at the table, Hide found himself sinking further into the chair. When the spiky haired-boy's vision begun to wonder off, it was then that he spotted a familiar looking young woman. "Hey… You look familiar…"

"Um… Nagachika?" She addressed as he cautiously stepped closer to the two. "... That's you, right?" Getting up from his uncomfortable position, Hide sat with his back straight in the chair as he continued to stare at the girl. Just like that, it soon dawned on him of who the mysterious girl was. Her bob-styled hair and gauges soon reminded Hide from when he last saw this young lady.

"Ah… You're definitely Nishiki's… Girlfriend…?" Even for Kaneki, the way Hide ended his sentence was extremely awkward. Rather than either agreeing or denying Hide's statement, the young lady instead began digging into her purse.

From the sound of the constant rustling emitting from her bag, Hide could only presume that she was looking for something in particular. Finding himself gripping the side of the table, Hide prepared himself for whatever Nishiki's associate had in store for both him and his best friend.

"This… Is from Nishiki." Extending out her hand, Hide felt a wave of relief upon seeing the plastic square case the young lady had presented to him.

"A DVD…?" Hide muttered as he took the clear case from the girl's hand. It didn't take long for Hide to realize what the DVD contained. "Oh, it's probably the materials for the school festival…!" He concluded as he placed the case in the middle of the table. "Than-"

"I only came to pass that to you…" Before he could finishing giving his gratitude, Hide was soon greeted with the back of woman as she did a quick turn away. "... So goodbye…"

"Wait!" Shock overcame the girl as she stood frozen in step. Even Kaneki felt himself shocked with Hide's sudden outburst. "... About Nishiki…" Catching the girl's attention, she allowed herself to barely look over her shoulder toward Hide's direction. "... I'm sorry that it had to come to that." The last thing that Hide saw on the girl's face was a frown before she continued to rush away from the duo. "... Do you think Nishiki's hospitalized, Kaneki?"

"... I don't think he is." Kaneki replied quietly as he focused on his hands. "Let's say that was his girlfriend who came to pass the materials off to you… was it just to gain the chance to investigate us?"

"I doubt that, man. She hardly spoke at all; even if she was an investigator, she did a pretty shit job of getting information." Hide said with a low chuckle as he settled back into his seat.

"I meant that did she just come to figure out what kind of condition we were in? Does he intend to have that girl report back to him?"

"Well, considering how close Nishiki was from buttering her biscuit last time we bursted through their door, I wouldn't necessarily imagine that they would keep things professional; but yeah, I'm pretty sure she'll go back to him."

"... Makes you wonder if she even knows that Nishiki's a ghoul, huh?" Kaneki questioned as he grabbed the bottle of water to unscrew the cap.

"Dude, she's probably a ghoul too." Hide concluded as he let out a sigh. "Kaneki."

"Hm?" Was the best Kaneki could do to respond to Hide as he drank the last of the bottle.

"... I was going to ask if you could leave some water for me, but uh… I can see that you needed it more than I."

* * *

 **When the Manager had told us that Hide and I were to take a three hour break, I expected the break to go by fast. However, when Hide and I finally came back to his apartment, I found that it only took twenty minutes to draw a basic sketch of who I came to dub the 'Armored Assailant'. As one could guess, there wasn't much I could do for fun considering that I would have to go to Anteiku later that day. The only other thing I could think of that would be both productive and a good way to kill time would be giving the sketch more details. Sitting at the kitchen table with my messenger bag beside my leg, I pulled out my black binder after I had finished the sketch. Opening up the binder, I found myself staring back at the same drawings both Hide and I drew that fateful day… The same day I met Rize. As much as I wanted to harbor hatred for the young woman, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for her. Funny, I knew nothing about her, and there I sat on the table, thinking about her.**

* * *

Working behind the counters, Kaneki was washing the dishes before catching ear of a conversation nearby between two customers. Although he would normally deny being an eavesdropper, he couldn't help but listen in to their hushed whispers; which for some reason he could hear the two just fine from where he was.

"Doves have come out here in the 20th ward." One man spoke to the other.

"Seems that Oumi was killed by those guys." The other gentleman replied back.

"That's because he sometimes didn't have any self-control… Still, the 20th Ward has also become dangerous, huh…?"

"We have to be more cautious now than ever before… God, as if things weren't already bad enough..."

To Kaneki, it seemed as though information was valued over all else in the ghoul community; and such information was collected at Anteiku especially. Recently, the hot topic around there was of the ghoul investigators. The bookworm couldn't help but wonder if 'Doves' was a specific name for an investigator in particular, or just a general term for all ghoul investigators.

"Kaneki, good work today." Breaking out of his inner thoughts, Kaneki turned around to see the tall and proud manager with the same gentle smile on his face.

"Oh... Thanks, you too." Kaneki said with a soft smile of his own.

"It seems Uta is doing well with your mask." Yoshimura said informally. "I believe he said something along the lines of the mask being formed."

"... Oh! That weird guy Hide mentioned…" Kaneki said with a nervous chuckle. "I can't tell you how glad I am that I didn't have to meet him like that."

"I bet Kaneki, I can see you pissing yourself if you were there instead of me." Hide jeered as he entered the area behind the counters. Rolling his eyes, Kaneki muttered something inaudible under his breath as Hide made his way beside him. "How's it going, boss?" Hide asked with a smirk on his face.

"Good Hide, thank you for asking." Yoshimura said with a small throaty laugh. "I was actually going to go looking for you so I could thank you for the hard work; thank you for saving me the trouble."

"No problem… Speaking of hard work, where's Touka? She's not someone who takes days off a lot." Hide inquired to the manager, who in turn nodded back at the young man.

"She has exams coming up soon, so I decided to give her the day off on the condition that she would be studying." Yoshimura explained. "I'm sure you can understand."

"Of course, it's just that she always helps us out a lot at work; seems like she can't catch a break, you know?"

"I couldn't agree more, Hide." For the briefest of moments, it looked as though Yoshimura's smile faded away into an empathic frown; however, any trace of such an expression was soon forgotten as his smile turned into one of a coyish-nature. "... Which brings me to what I wanted to ask of you two fine gentlemen."

"Sir, is that a good idea? Considering how we still have customers?" Kaneki pipped in.

"Rest assured Kaneki, the sketch you provided, although still vague, will have to suffice for now. I'll have to look into that more myself." Yoshimura explained as he patted Kaneki's shoulder. "... No, what I have in mind as far as my favor goes is a bit… Personal. Consider it more as a request than anything else."

"Well… Sure, shoot." Hide said as he waited.

"Are either of you free tonight?"

"Kaneki and I were going to watch some television later, but uh, sure, we have an open schedule."

"Do you need us to tidy up the shop or something?" Kaneki questioned, to which Yoshimura simply shook his head in response.

"I'd like the two of you to go with my staff to get food supplies." Caught off guard by the question, Kaneki found himself gulping down as a wave of fear washed over him. "I'm always relying on Touka to do so… So, today I thought I could ask you two to do it instead." While Kaneki stood with his mouth agaped, Hide couldn't help but feel unnerved by the request as well.

"Erm… We're not going to like, kill anyone, right?"

"Ah, you would be correct, Hide." Yoshimura said reassuringly. "It's not a task where either of you would have to do something like kill people."

"If that's the case… I guess I'm up for it; what about you man, are you alright with this?" Hide asked his best friend as he noticed the grim look on his face.

"... If I don't have to injure people, then… Then I suppose I'll come along too."

"I'm glad, thank you… Well then, I'll send the message to Yomo."

* * *

 **Yomo? I've heard that name used frequently… Standing near the street at the train station with Hide, I couldn't help but wonder what type of person he would be. It would have been great if he wasn't a scary person.**

* * *

"Hey bud, I think that's him." Shaking Kaneki's shoulder, Hide pointed over toward the pair of headlights in the near distance. "You ready?" He asked, to which the bookworm simply just shrugged as the vehicle came into view.

It was a sleek-black sports car, and Hide couldn't help but oogle at it as Kaneki stood nervously as he awaited to see who ever came out of the car.

A single click of the door unlocking broke the humming of the engine as a tall, well-built man with silver hair and stubble stepped out of the car with a stone-like glare plastered on his face. He wore a long overcoat which blended well in the night.

"Um… Are you… Yomo?" Kaneki asked with what looked like could pass for a friendly grin on his face. "I… I'm Kaneki Ken."

"Yeah, and I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika, but you can just-"

"I've already heard about the two of you." The deep voice of the man stated bluntly as he continued to stare at the two with a bored expression. With a soft sigh, he turned gesture the two in. "Hurry up."

* * *

 **Unfortunately, he was a scary person.**

* * *

Sitting in the backseat, Hide and Kaneki sat in silence as Yomo concentrated on the road above all else. Or at the least, it had appeared that way to both young men.

"So uh… Nice ride, is this car yours, dude?" Hide asked, with the hope that perhaps his question would have sparked a conversation.

"No." Was all Yomo had to say.

"Oh… I see." Hide muttered as he turned to give Kaneki a shrug. Clearing his throat, Kaneki leaned in slightly between the two front seats.

"Well then, whose is it…?" Unlike Hide, who had at least received answer, Kaneki was completely given the cold shoulder; not so much as eye contact with made between the two. Annoyed, Kaneki returned back to his upright sitting position and decided to simply fiddle with his thumbs until the car ride had ended.

Without even announcing their arrival, the car came to a screeching halt. Leaving the headlights on, Yomo exited the vehicle without so much as a gesture for them to follow. Hesitantly, Hide motioned for Kaneki to follow the silent man. Through the bleak night sky, Kaneki and Hide made their way beside the railing exposed by the headlights that Yomo stood behind. Giving a peek over the railing, Hide let out an impressed whistle as he rested the back of his head on his arms outstretched behind him. "Whew, helluva drop down there."

Against his better judgement, Kaneki placed a hand cautiously on the railing as he leaned over to look down. Even with the headlights illuminating the area, the blackness of night proved to challenge Kaneki's vision. "I can't even see the bottom…"

"Careful there, champ." Hide warned as he grabbed the back of Kaneki's collar to pull him away.

"... Oi, that part's broken…" Finally speaking, Yomo gestured with a nod toward the railing Kaneki was leaning on. Just then, a loud and metallic snapping sound broke out through the night. Thinking fast, Hide threw himself backwards with Kaneki still in his grasp. Letting out a grunt, the shooken up bookworm looked toward where he had been standing to see a loose piece of railing flapping out toward the drop of the cliff.

"Jesus man, you couldn't have told him that sooner!?" Hide shouted as he rolled underneath Kaneki to position himself beside him. Although he too was shocked at what nearly happened, at least Hide wasn't hyperventilating like his best friend was. Once again, Hide was met with silence from Yomo. "What the hell is your problem? We came here to help you; the least you can do is not ignore us, asshole…" What could pass for a smirk quickly showed itself on Yomo's face for a split-second. While Hide did his best to comfort Kaneki, Yomo made his way back to the trunk of the car. When he came back, he had a black duffle bag underneath his arm. Without any warning, Yomo launched himself high into the air before descending down into the darkness. "What the… What the hell was that?!" Hide cried out as he scrambled to his feet. Peering over the railing without daring to lay a hand on the weak metal, Hide squinted his eyes as best he could, but to no avail. "Shit! Did he just come here to off himself?" Looking over his shoulder, he watch as Kaneki continued to shiver as he got to his feet. "This whole situation is shit…" With the latest turn of events that night ending up witnessing someone jumping off a cliff, the last thing Hide needed was Kaneki going into a panic attack.

Just then, a distant crumbling of grass was heard; although, barely audible. "Stop wasting time! Get down here!" The voice belonged to Yomo sure enough. Both young men found themselves hovering behind the railing.

"How the hell is this guy still alive?!" Hide shouted in confusion. "... You are alive, right?! You're not a ghost or something?!" Finding himself beginning to calm down, Kaneki couldn't help but give a nervous laugh at Hide's question.

"Just jump already!" Yomo shouted back.

"Of course, out of the few words spoken, 'just jump already', would be his latest…" Hide muttered as he tapped his fingers frantically on his sides.

"... Hide?"

"... Hey Kaneki, promise me you won't get mad at me?" Surprised more than anything at the question, the bookworm looked over his shoulder at the guilty look on his best friend's face.

"Uh… I mean, I guess-"

"Okay, cool." Without another word, Hide wrapped his arms around Kaneki's waist.

"Hide?! What are you doing?!" Confused, Kaneki turned his head over his shoulder to see a nervous grin on Hide's face. "Come on Hide, now's not the time for a hug!"

"... Hey Kaneki…" Suddenly, as Hide spoke those two words, all nervousness and uncertainty left his grin, and in its place was a sly smile spread across his lips. "What time is it…?"

"... What?"

"It's Adventure Time!" Without another word spoke, Hide used his kagune to launch them over the railing and down the cliff. Kaneki let out a wail as he Hide let out an excited yelp. Feeling a sudden jerk in their velocity, Kaneki did his best to squint past his shoulder to see the three tendrils from Hide's kagune burying themselves into the side of the cliff. Having decided to help break the fall as well, Kaneki allowed his kagune to form from his back and down his legs to provide shock support when they landed. When it finally came time for them to land, Hide bent his kagune tendrils back and outward like a spring to launch them forward rather than straight down. After bunny hopping upon the first impact, Kaneki left a crater where they had first landed before digging his heel into the dirt to provide him grounding when he twirled around. "... Whew! Stuck the landing and all!" Hide cheered as he hopped off Kaneki.

"When the two of you are done, I could use a hand." Almost having forgotten the purpose behind their thrill trip, Kaneki found himself actually grinning in excitement as both he and Hide jogged over to where Yomo stood.

However, Kaneki soon found himself slowing down as he came closer to where Yomo stood at. In fact, it wasn't long until he found himself at a complete stop. "... Is that…"

"Is this your first time seeing a dead body?" Yomo asked, but when he didn't receive an immediate answer, the man turned toward Hide with the same bored expression. "What about you? First time as well?"

Shaking his head, Hide did his best to block Kaneki's view from the corpse on the ground without completely standing in front of him. "Unfortunately, no..." He muttered as he stared at the ground. "... I take it you didn't find this spot out of pure coincidence." For the first time that night, both young men found themselves holding their breath as Yomo, the very man who was they've come to know as a man of few words, let out a deep throaty laugh. Although, to be fair, there was no subtlety to the sorrow behind his voice.

"I would be damned if my luck was anywhere near that good." Yomo replied sarcastically as he took a step closer to the body. "The reason why humans don't know about this place is because we dispose of everything."

Pushing past Hide, Kaneki quietly made his way in perfect view of the corpse. It was a man in what looked like business attire, middle aged as well. "Uh… The people at Anteiku… They've chosen to eat people who committed suicide?" Kaneki inquired. "I… I don't know what to say."

"If we do that, then there's no need to injure anyone…" Yomo explained, though his fleeting words trailed off as his face expressed a man who was deep in thought. "... But I didn't choose it." Yomo declared bitterly. "There are times when I kill and eat people too. It's the same for Touka and the others…"

"... Why?!" Surprised by his friend's sudden outburst, Hide turned around to see Kaneki glaring down at his balled fist. "Why?! Why hurt people?! Why kill?!" No longer caring about how loud he was, Kaneki took a step closer behind Yomo, who refused to look back at him. "If you can get your food this way, then why kill other people?! Is because of some sort of predatory instinct?!... Or is it just because you simply enjoy all the killing…?"

A moment of silence passed between the two as Kaneki felt his heart pounding. "I'm only doing what Yoshimura asked me to… If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have gone out of my way to come to this place with either of you clowns… Catch." Still not facing Kaneki, he tossed the duffel bag backwards toward the direction Kaneki's whining had came from. "The stuff I'm going to hand you from his body, put it in there." It didn't take long for both Hide and Yomo to realize that Kaneki wouldn't participate in such a dark deed.

"Er… Let me see that, please." Hide muttered as he took hold of the duffel bag's strap. Letting go of his hold, Kaneki's hand plop down to his sides as Hide gave him a reassuring nod. "Here boss, I got you." Hide said grudgingly as he moved to Yomo's side. "... Are we gonna do this or… Oh." The urge in wanting to get the man, or at least what would be left of him, into the duffel bag done and over with was interrupted as he looked beside him to see Yomo with his hands clapped together: praying.

* * *

 **I've heard of tribals from other parts of the world using every part of their game in order to make complete use of its corpse. Perhaps it was a sign of respect toward their sacrifice? Either way, I was surprised that Yomo had his own interpretation of such practices. Although I'd prefer not to have watch, I only found it only fair that if Hide had to watch the grizzly scene, I would have to as well. Yomo appeared to have disemboweled the corpse before beginning to break off pieces of flesh and meat from the bones. He then used the chest cavity of the corpse to house any organs that held liquids that weren't blood. He proceeded to empty out the organs in the bushes before returning to hand Hide the "clean" organs. Luckily for both him and Hide, Yomo kept handy cleaning wipes in the trunk of the car.**

 **After the, beg my pardon, "ghoulish" act had been committed, Yomo tossed Hide a pair of keys. I suppose the man's car parked near the cliff would be a dead giveaway that something had happened. Yomo did say that the car he was driving wasn't his, so I guess that it might have belonged to one of the unfortunate people who had decided that their life wasn't worth living.**

* * *

"I wonder if they also feel sorry for them…?"

"What was that, Kaneki?" Driving the car while following behind Yomo's black car had nearly Hide's full attention, so what he would normally be able to pick up from Kaneki's muttering had proved to be a bit of an issue at the moment; even if Kaneki was sitting in the passenger's seat beside him.

"Do you think that ghouls, like, the good ones, feel sorry for the people?"

"... Well, what do you feel for that guy chopped up in the Yomo's trunk?"

"I think it's a bit messed up, but I think it's a better alternative than killing innocent people."

"But what about that guy in particular, someone whose name is anonymous toward you? He could have been a saint, could have been evil, or could have just been some guy just like us."

"I… What are you getting at, Hide?"

"What I'm getting at is that although it's tragic, I agree with you that it's a better alternative than murdering people, but at the same time, why feel sorry for him? That doesn't do anything for the guy now, right? Isn't it best to respect his sacrifice, even if that dead guy never would have thought that his corpse would be cut up like some chopped meat from a deli-shop."

"... I suppose that's why Yomo was praying… Giving his thanks perhaps?"

"I don't know dude, I wouldn't try and think... Why is he stopping?" Looking up and toward where Hide had been staring intently on, Kaneki could see the braking lights of Yomo's car flashing until both Yomo and Hide were at a complete stop. Rolling down the driver's window, Hide stuck his head outside to get a better look at where Yomo was heading off toward on foot. "Damn, it's dark as hell outside…"

"Might be why the manager wanted us to do this tonight; less chance of getting caught I suppose." Kaneki reasoned. "What do you see, Hide?"

"Still just a silhouette of the silent bastard… Wait, hold up; I see another silhouette behind him… Looks smaller than him, a woman maybe?... Oh shit, it's that milf from Anteiku."

"Hide! That's disrespectful!" Kaneki scolded as he socked his friend's shoulder. "Her name is Ryouko Fueguchi!"

"Fine, fine… _Mrs. Fueguchi_ , is that better?... Okay, act natural, they're heading our way." Doing their best to look inconspicuous as possible, Hide turned on the radio and pretended to look patient while Kaneki flipped open his phone and pretended to be writing a message to no one in particular.

Without knocking, Yomo opened the passenger door before leaning to glare at Kaneki. "Get in the back."

"Why don't you go fu-" Before Hide could finish his sentence, Kaneki leaned beside him and clamped down his hand over his best friend's mouth.

"It's okay Yomo, I don't mind sitting in the back." Ryouko assured as she placed a hand on top of the man's shoulder.

"No, no, I insist Mrs. Fueguchi!" Kaneki protested with a grin on his face. Making his way through the small space between the driver and passenger's seat, Kaneki decided to take his seat in the back.

Ryouko couldn't help but giggle softly. "Such a gentleman, Kaneki!" Taking her seat beside Hide, Yomo closed the door when Ryouko was secured and had fastened her seatbelt before going around the hood of the car toward Hide's side window.

"Now that you two have an important person in the car, I need you to drive especially careful; is that clear?"

Hide rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because I was trying to get an accident this entire trip."

"Shitty brat…" Yomo muttered as he headed toward the black car parked in front.

"Good evening, sorry to intrude." Ryouko said apologetically as she turned to give a glance toward both young men. "Tonight really is outstanding, isn't it?"

"... That's one word for it… Why, what makes you say that Mrs. Fueguchi?" Hide asked. Turning the key into the ignition, it wasn't long until both cars were on the move once more.

"It's just that Touka being able to finally take a break; poor girl works really hard… Pardon me if I sound like I'm gossiping, but she's really isn't the academic type, so having time to study is vital for her education."

Kaneki leaned in closer to the two and gave a confused look toward Ryouko. "Where'd you hear that from?"

A sheepish smile had found itself spread across her lips as she closed her eyes. "Well, I'm sure you two boys know, when you're at Anteiku, word spreads well through the grapevine." The woman took a deep breath before exhaling softly. "I want to thank you two for your hard work so far… For helping both my daughter and I's stay feel comfortable."

"Hm? How so?" Hide questioned as his eyes darted defensively between the front of the road and the rear view mirror. "We try our best, but we're not exactly as hardworking as Touka."

"Even so, I can't express how good it feels to see two older boys such yourself being able to keep my daughter feeling comfortable around the shop… Besides, the antics of you two aren't unnoticed by the rest of us." Ryouko said with a soft laugh following her statement. "I mean, before you two showed up, things were so hush-hush at Anteiku, almost like a refugee hub if you will. But now, now it feels so warm and welcoming seeing the two of you around… It feels like a home away from home; thanks to the two of you."

A smile spread across Kaneki's face as well Hide's after having listen to the woman's praise. "Thank you Mrs. Fueguchi, that means a lot to us!" Kaneki said as he plopped back toward his seat. "... Also, how come you're out and about this late?"

A small pause passed between the two, the radio being the only thing livening things up in the car as Hide followed behind Yomo. "... I went out tonight to visit my husband's grave… Even buried his mask with him..."

Tension followed suit as Kaneki felt himself cringe. "Oh… I'm so sorry."

Hide gave a nod as well. "Me as well…"

"Thank you for your concern, both of you… Although, I shouldn't have gone out alone, just like Yomo said."

"Man, forget that guy! Why shouldn't you be able to go out on your own? You're your own person after all, what right does he have to tell you that?" Although that had came out more aggressively than he had wanted, he meant every word of it. "You have the right to pay your respects to your husband…"

"I thank you for your passion Hide, but… The reasoning behind Yomo's words were due to being worried about my well being... Tell me, surely with you two working at Anteiku, news of the ghoul investigators coming here isn't a surprise to either of you by now, right?"

Kaneki nodded. "Yes ma'am, what of them?"

Ryouko, although facing away from both young men, had a noticeable change in her tone after both young men heard her sigh. "They're looking for me… Kaneki, Hide… Promise me… Promise me that if I'm taken-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Mrs. Fueguchi; I promise you, that won't happen." Hide stated, more so as a fact than any sort of valorous commitment.

From the corner of Hide's eyes, he caught glimpses of Ryouko's frown fading away into a smile as she rested her head back on the seat. "... Thank you boys…"

* * *

"Numbers 720 and 722 haven't been making any particular moves." Amon stated as he read through his report. "Number 721 had a chocolate croissant and cinnamon pound cake from Donut Masters for Lunch... And a hot coffee to drink."

Sitting in the conference room beside his partner, Mado sat with his wrinkled hands crossed over each other as he looked down at the notes he had gathered during Amon's presentation so far. "There was no change in facial expression or their use of the lavatory either…?" Mado implored as he hummed quietly to himself. "I'm worried about the coffee order though so let's continue the investigation."

Amon gave a quick nod before flipping the page of his report stack. "What about number 723, 20th Ward?"

A young man with rounded glasses stood up with his own report in his hands as he cleared his throat. "Ah… Yes, the suspect used the train and got off at the fifth station. She then transferred and headed towards Site B. I lost sight of her for a moment… But, I rediscovered her in front of a stone monument-like thing at documented Site C." The man said before taking a moment to catch a breath as well as scan through the unnecessary details he had written in his report. "After staying for ten or so minutes, the target began traveling on foot. She met with an acquaintance and rode back with another car behind the acquaintance."

Amon, although he knew how important the man's information was, couldn't help but feel bored by his constant rambling. "The license plate number?"

"Ah… Um, I'm sorry, I wasn't able to take it down… It was rather dark and I lost the vehicle that held number 723… I think they knew they were being followed."

"Well then, the stone monument was actually a grave, right?" Amon questioned as he swiped the other man's report. "If it turns out that the items at the grave are associated with ghoul number 696, then number 723 will also be confirmed as a ghoul… So, why didn't you pursue things to their full extent?"

The young man felt his jaw drop as he stared in disbelief at the serious glare of Amon. "I… I should have dug through a grave!? No way… It goes against my morals…!" The man declared as he took back his report from Amon's grasp. "The way the main office and we do things are different…"

Fixing his tie, Amon cleared his throat as he stood up as well. "Morals?" He scoffed, as if the mere word seemed like a joke he had one too many times. "With that morality, you can't crush evil. We are justice, that is our morality."

* * *

Walking beside the older man, Amon pressed on with his hands in his coat pockets as he could still feel the same bitter anger from the meeting. "I'm completely amazed at the level of carelessness of the 20th Ward's investigators. They lack the motivation… And sense of duty required for this job! It's because of that, the ghouls are still alive, instead of wiped out like the filth they are…!"

Mado couldn't help but smile at the younger man's passion. "... Well, don't let it piss you off too much, Amon. That's why we're here anyway." He chuckled as he let out a small sigh. "The flame of your righteous indignation is burning hotly in your heart… All you can do is scatter the flame of that hell fire throughout the area. Your fire will without a doubt spread to those who desire a just world. One must have a torch inside their chest in order to light the fire… I must admit, I also intend to carry such a torch with me; even I've felt your good influence."

"Mado…"

"However, today, as expected, I'm tired from walking. You walk so fast… Let's continue tomorrow… Good work today." With that said, Amon watched as Mado made his way into an elevator. However, walking past Amon was a child holding onto the hand of another CCG employee. He had seen children here before, the child was one of the orphans taken in by the department. Mado had kept the elevator doors open for the child and as soon as the doors closed, Amon felt his fingers curl into fist.

"... Shit, as if I need to rest!"

* * *

A world like the one he lived in, was simply wrong in Amon's eyes. After waiting for the night to fall, he wasted no time in driving toward the where the gravestone had been. Armed with only a shovel and pure determination, Amon begun his excavation. After having turned over the surface dirt to make it more bearable to search through, Amon felt sweat dripping down his forehead as his fingers brushed through the dirt. Suddenly, he felt the scraping of wood against his fingertips. Greedily digging into the Earth with his own bare hands, Amon had found what he had been looking for. Holding up his prize, he let out a loud roar of victory. "Number 696's mask! I found it, you bastard! Number 723's a ghoul!"


	8. No Regrets

_**Oh look, an update that didn't take months to be released! Reading the reviews, I wanted to start replying back to reviewers in the beginning of any future updates.**_

 _ **To Aira Aura:** **Thank you for reviewing my story again, that means a lot to me! To answer your latest question, looking back on how I wrote Hide in the previous chapter, I can totally see how you would see him acting like a girl. I see it more as a goofy and even slightly flamboyant nature he has to him in this story, and to answer your question, Hide doesn't have the same visions of Rize that Kaneki has of Arata, which will later be explained why. Once again, thank you so much for your feedback!**_

 _ **Also, just a bit of a warning, this chapter contains on scene in particular that was sort of hard for me to write, but I felt it necessary. Nothing inappropriate of course, just… You'll see.**_

* * *

 **Although I was against the idea of what Yomo considered as personal payment from him to us, Hide was quite invigorated by receiving that stranger's car. I suppose it was a win-win in Yomo eyes': He wouldn't have to dispose of the car himself and Hide and I would be able to drive as well. I couldn't say that I was crazy over the idea that we would have to be driving illegally, but seeing how registering a dead man's vehicle was out of the question… Oh well, at least we wouldn't have to pay insurance.**

* * *

Unlike some of the waiters and waitress at Anteiku, Enji Koma took pride in his uniform. Brushing back his brown pompadour hair, his nostrils flared from his bulbous nose as his gentle eyes fell down on the near-empty container of coffee beans. "Kaneki." Koma called toward his colleague with a smile. Kaneki in turn gave the other man a curious look before walking over to the counter where Koma stood behind. "Could you please go get some coffee beans from upstairs for me? They have a red label."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Giving the younger man a two-fingered salute, Koma then gave him a nod of appreciation before returning to working on his latest batch of coffee. Kaneki made his way upstairs with the repeating thought of coffee beans in his mind as he walked down the hallway. However, a sudden scraping sound caught Kaneki's attention and made him lose focus. Frozen in his tracks, he listened carefully from where the clinking sounds were coming from. "Is someone here…?" He asked aloud, although, he wasn't sure if he asked that question aloud more so to himself instead of to whomever was making the noise. It wasn't long until the only thing separating him from the mysterious noise was a door. "... Hello?" The door creaked as he peaked his head in. There sitting on the couch, the once innocent girl he thought of, Hinami, was about to take another fork full of meat into her mouth. Looking down at her plate, Kaneki felt his heart drop at the sight of what she had been eating: a lone slab of bloodied and raw meat with three severed fingers on the side. Staring back him through red and black eyes, Hinami appeared shocked by the sudden intrusion of her meal. Holding back both the urge to scream and vomit, Kaneki shielded his nose and mouth with the white sleeve of his button-down dress shirt. "Hinami… Sorry, I didn't know… Er, take you time…" Taking backwards steps into the hallway, he slammed the door before letting out a loud sigh. "... Well then… Time to find those coffee beans…"

"Welcome back Kaneki." Koma greeted chipperly. With a bitter look in his eyes, Kaneki handed the fellow waiter a plastic bag filled with coffee beans. "Oh, by the way, Hinami is in the room upstairs… So you shouldn't go in there, okay?"

Rolling his eyes, Kaneki let out a small groan. "... I wish you told me sooner..."

Filling up the container with coffee beans, Koma looked up with a smirk on his face. "... Did you see her eating?" Kaneki merely nodded, much to his dismay as Koma let out a chuckle. "... Oh my… That's no good. Most kids, particularly girls, don't really like being seen like that. You know how kids her age are so self conscious and all... Did you apologize?"

Kaneki's eyes opened wide at the question. "Was it something I needed to apologize for?"

Koma raised his hand to rub the bottom of his chin as he shook his head. "Wow, you're not very considerate, are you? Sort of uncivilized on your part, huh?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be!" Kaneki protested.

"Hey, I'm not the one who needs to hear that, you know?" Taking a moment to ready up a cup on top of a white plate, Koma poured some of the coffee from his latest batch into the cup. "More importantly, take this opportunity to apologize when you take this to Hinami."

Making sure to knock first that time, Kaneki waited patiently for a response, but to no avail. Not wanting the coffee to get cold nor did he want any hard feelings between him and the younger girl, Kaneki took a breath in before bracing himself to enter. "Hinami, I'm coming in…" The door seemed to of creaked less that time around as Kaneki stepped inside the room. Sitting with an uncomfortable frown on her face, Himani looked up from the book she was reading without so much as a word. "... Sorry about earlier…" Kaneki apologized with a goofy smile across his lips. "Please, drink this as part of my apology." He said as he set down the cup of coffee on the table in front of her. Standing there after a minute of silence, Kaneki begun to tap his fingers on his sides as his eyes scanned around the room. She merely stared at the cup, which only made the situation that much more awkward for Kaneki. "Well then, take you time..." Another moment passed between the two before Kaneki finally decided that it was time for him to leave her alone. "Well… It's about time for me to be hitting the ol dusty trail…" Turning to leave the room, a low muttering voice was heard from behind Kaneki. "Hm? What is it?" He questioned as he turned around.

Visibly nervous, Hinami did her best to compose herself before speaking up. "... Uh, what are you?"

"I'm a quinx, remember?"

Looking almost ashamed, Hinami's cheeks begun to reddened as she looked down from Kaneki's grey eyes. "Nevermind… I'm… I'm sorry." She apologized as she let out a soft sigh. "It's just you… Smell completely… Diff… Different than other people… And I don't know what a quinx is exactly…"

Rubbing the back of his head, Kaneki gave a chuckle at the girl's nervous stuttering. "It's okay, no need to apologize Hinami." He reassured, which did subside Hinami's frown a bit. "I… I was originally a human; both Hide and I were actually. But, due to some unexpected circumstances and promise of money, Hide and I went through surgery and were implanted with these kakuhous, which I guess are some sort of ghoul organ, but they're refined in a way; made from ghouls… I don't know the science behind it exactly, but there's five frames around it, that sort of monitor it for my safety…"

An expression of shock found its way upon Hinami's face after hearing Kaneki's summarized version of an explanation on what quinx were. "... You were previously human…? Then... Now you're not?"

"I… I feel like a human right now, except my body is sort of like a ghoul; although, I can eat whatever I want, more than I actually did before I underwent to transformation to be honest. It's actually kind of embarrassing, but I don't think I regret what I did… At least not yet."

Looking suddenly guilty, Hinami looked even further away from Kaneki's grinning face. "Sorry… If my question was strange…"

"Don't worry about it… If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me for being a weird guy." Kaneki said playfully. ' _... such a timid and docile child…'_ He thought as he continued to smile.

Just as he had hopped for, a smile begun to emerge on the Hinami's face. "It's not weird... Just stunning…"

' _And to think, earlier she was eating meat, wasn't she?… Hm?'_ Looking down toward the coffee table, the previous cover of the book Hinami had been reading caught the bookworm's attention. His eyes lit up brightly as soon recognized the familiar artwork of the cover. "Ah! That's Monochrome Rainbow, isn't it!?" Kaneki squealed as he picked up the book. "Hinami, you read Takatsuki's material!? That's impressive since the contents are difficult… But Monochrome is a collection of short stories, so I wonder if it's relatively easy to read?" Kaneki mused aloud as he begun to flip through the pages of the book with excitement. "Hinami, which stories do you like best? Mine would be the insanity based one, "Summer Diary"... Or maybe the really comedic "Resentments"..."

Although she no longer looked as if she was uncomfortable with his presence, it didn't change the fact that Hinami looked as though she was struggling to make a decision. "Um... Koyo… Tokiame…?" She stuttered as she tapped her fingers on her legs with an unsure look on her face.

"Koyo… Oh, you meant 'Sayoshigure'!" Kaneki corrected as his eyes lit up. "You must have misread the kanji for 'sayoshigure' as 'koyotokiame'. Sayoshigure is a light rain that happens in late fall and early winter." He explained. "It's the prototype of Black Goat's Egg. It's unexpectedly scary but pretty good, right?"

Kanek continued to teach his knowledge of kanji to Hinami, who turned out as someone who didn't have tight of a grasp on the language as he did. Looking down from his lecture, Kaneki was thrilled to see that Hinami had been writing down what he had taught her. "Oh… Amazing. You're taking a notes I see."

Having been focused on what she had been writing, Hinami had been surprised to see that Kaneki had noticed her writing down what he had spoken to her. A light blush lit her cheeks as she smiled shyfuly. "...I don't… Go to school… So I write the things I want to remember down here… My mom asked me to do so."

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable again, Kaneki kept his cool and continued to smile at the young girl. "Oh… I see." Was all he could muster out as he begun to think silently to himself. ' _... Mrs. Fueguchi doesn't allow Hinami to attend school… Is that so Hinami doesn't have to walk that metaphorical 'tightrope' Hide had told me about…? I suppose Hinami must be starving for knowledge of any sort then…'_

Suddenly, a loud thunderous boom came from outside. "Brother, what was that?" Hinami asked in a curious tone.

"It sounded like thunder… Let me check how the weather is doing." Making his way beside the couch, Kaneki parted back the curtains just enough for him to get a view of the outside. "Speaking of rain… I'm sorry, did you call me-"

"-Brother? Yes… Is that okay? I… I don't want to be over stepping any sort of boundaries…" Blinking with an expressionless face, Kaneki honestly didn't know how to answer her question, and without an immediate response, Hinami begun to feel her heart beating faster in her chest. "Goodness… I didn't mean to make things weird… I'm sorry, I won't call you that again…"

"Hinami… It's okay… I would love to be called your brother." Kaneki said reassuringly. Looking up, Hinami felt her worry wash away at the sight of her new brother's reassuring and cute smile.

"Thank you… Brother."

"-Well then… From here on you'll be getting your own food?" Yoshimura asked for the second time, silently praying that he had misheard the woman due to his age.

"... Yes." Ryouko replied. "I can't always just keep relying on the staff of Anteiku… I don't want that."

Meanwhile, Hide stood beside the two adults with a look of disbelief on his face. "What?! Don't be ridiculous, we'll always be here to help you Mrs. Fueguchi; there's no need to feel guilty, I mean, we're waiters after all: we live to serve!"

"Hide, that's enough… It's like you told me earlier, right? She can make her own decisions." Yoshimura spoke calmly.

"Hide, I appreciate you saying that, I really do, but if I use Yomo's method of scavenging for food, then I think I can manage on my own…"

"... Well then, you should ask Yomo where to get food next time, okay?" Yoshimura advised. "... And like Hide said, we'll always be here to aid you, Mrs. Fueguchi."

Bowing down her head in thanks, she looked over to where her daughter was sitting in her room. With the door left open, she had a full view of Kaneki sitting parallel from Hinami as he continued to teach her kanji. "Hinami, sorry for the wait." Ryouko apologized with a wave.

"Mother!" Getting up from her seat, Hinami ran over with a smile across her face. "... Um! Kaneki taught me a lot of words!"

"Oh, my… Isn't that great?" Ryouko said with a cooing tone. "Thank you, Kaneki."

Hide, as much as he wanted to make a joke about Kaneki, kept silent as he looked away. "Oh no… I also had fun." Kaneki replied with a smile.

Stepping beside Kaneki, Yoshimura made his way toward the blinds of the windows before taking a peek. "... It seems like it's going to rain hard. Shall I lend you an umbrella?"

"Oh… Thank you very much."

"Kaneki." Hinami called out in a chipper voice. "Thank you… Please teach me more next time!"

* * *

 **Hinami reminded me of myself a lot when I was her age: shy, gentle, and interested in literature as well. We even shared the same favorite author. Seeing her smile after she had thanked me for teaching her was very rewarding to say the least. Immediately after, Yoshimura had given us the rest of the night off. Looking back on it, it made sense why he let us off right at the moment.**

* * *

Whistling a joyful tune, Kaneki had decided to hang his uniform upstairs to prevent the rain from ruining it. Coming up quickly beside him, he watched as Hide quickly shoved his uniform in the wardrobe. "Hide, you'll wrinkled your dress shirt if you don't hang it properly." Kaneki said in a scolding tone. "What's the rush for anyway? We got off early, didn't we?"

Crouching down to pull out the bottom drawer, Hide quickly rummaged through it. "That's the least of our concerns right now…" He muttered as he pulled out two white handkerchiefs. "Here, put this around your face." Hide ordered before shoving the cloth into his friend's chest.

Looking down at the handkerchief in his grasp, Kaneki's eyes widened in confusion as he looked up to see Hide standing up with his hands tying the knot behind his head. Due to the size of the makeshift-mask and the way it was tied, it reminded Kaneki of the way those old western cowboys of America dressed up. "Hide? What's going?"

"Just put it on! I'll explain on the way out!" It was very much unlike Hide to be so directive, and Kaneki could only count the times Hide had acted like that on a single hand. "Come on Kaneki, we have to go!" Seeing how asking questions wasn't getting him anywhere, Kaneki let out a groan as he mimicked Hide's handkerchief mask. "Alright, come on, follow me!" Zipping up his black and yellow hoodie, Hide gestured Kaneki to do the same with his teal hoodie as well.

* * *

Extending her arm out from the protection that her umbrella lended her, Ryouko watched in awe on how hard the rain was falling from the night sky. "It's really coming down, isn't it?" The mother mused to her daughter beside her. When she brought her hand back down underneath the cover of the umbrella, Ryouko let out a soft chuckle as she dried her hand on the side of her dress. "It's a good thing we borrowed this umbrella."

Hinami nodded with her newfound happiness as she pointed toward the sky. "It's 'Shuuu', mom!" Confused, Ryouko looked down at her daughter. "A shower that comes down suddenly," Hinami explained with a large smile across her lips, "my brother taught me about it."

"Haha… Kaneki is very knowledgeable, isn't he?"

"I told him to teach me more stuff in the-" A sudden flash of lightning shot out above from the heavens accompanied by booming thunder. Any signs of joy immediately washed away from Hinami's face as the young girl gave an uneasy look over her shoulders. "Mother… Should we run?"

Hinami could hear the distant splashing of footsteps behind them. Without saying another word, Hinami pushed her mother forward. "Hinami… Who is chasing us…!?"

Now in a full on sprint, the sound of splashing behind them became noticed by the fearful mother. "There are two… Adult men…" Hinami gasped out as she and mother continued to sprint. Another bolt of lightning sprung from the sky, this time dangerously close. It illuminated the surrounding area in a blinding light. Coming to a halt, both the mother and daughter nearly slipped as the two silhouettes previously hidden by the lightning came into view- the booming of thunder being identical to what their chests were feeling. "What… Is that smell…?"

One of the figures let out a laugh that sent a shiver up the two ghouls' spines. "The rain is… A truly damp and unpleasant thing…" The voice of the older man had a sadistic tone behind it as he spoke. "My field of vision decreases and it hampers my ability to do my job… However," the older man grinned with a pause as he and his younger colleague took a step closer, "there are times when the rain is unusually helpful since it washes away many things. Such as dirt and pollutants… and the screams of disgusting pigs…" Mado said as he chuckled. "Could you spare a little time for us, Fueguchi?" He asked with an eerie grin spreading across his thin lips. "We would like to ask you about this." He explained before presenting a carefully sealed-tight sleeve that contained her husband's mask. With the moment that it took for both Hinami and Ryouko to take in what dark act the investigators must have taken to retrieved the dead father's mask, the two men that had been following them had caught up. Trembling, all Hinami could think to do was bury her head into her mother's shoulder. Looking down at her daughter, Ryouko quickly released the umbrella to embrace her daughter in what comfort she could provide. "That's right… I assume even filth like yourselves are sentient enough to understand the reality of your situation… Even you must have known that it was only a matter of time before-"

Although he normally basked in the words that Mado would speak to his prey, a sudden loud splash caught Amon's attention. Not that it would have made a difference, considering how Mado realized this as well as everyone else. Confused on why anyone would be out here in such weather conditions, Amon became suspicious as he approached the two hooded figures nearby. "We're ghoul investigators," he announced to the hooded figures as he brought out his badge, "it's dangerous so please leave immediately!" Usually, Amon or any ghoul investigators that had shown their badge would have at least been bombarded with questions by that point; instead, the figures only approached him without so much as a word. Taking a step back, Amon gritted his teeth in annoyance as he put his badge away. "Didn't you hear me?! Leave now, you're interfering with CCG activity, go on about your business!" Once again, he was ignored as the figures continued to approach; meanwhile, Mado cursed himself as he begun to feel more interested in the mysterious figures than the mother and daughter. Frustrated, Amon tossed his umbrella aside and held tighter onto his briefcase as he begun to advanced towards the two figures. "Are you deaf, damnit!? Get out of here before you do something that the we'll both regret!"

Coming to a halt, the two figures stood mere feet away in front Amon. Thinking he had intimidated them, Amon did his best to hide the feeling of victory that had begun to tug at the corners of his mouth. However, another flash of lightning shot out from above as the rain seemingly begun to fall harder than it had mere seconds ago. "... Nah, I don't think I'll have any regrets with what I'm about to do right now…" Hide shot back as his threat was followed by thunder.

Angered, Amon was staring down at the brown eyes above the white handkerchief that covered Hide's mouth. "Pry tell… What exactly _won't_ you regret?" He muttered in a low voice. "Last chance: you and your friend get the hell out of here before I make that happen." The seconds that passed as the two glared at each other felt like minutes for the surrounding spectators. Breaking the tension, Hide let out a small chuckle before raising his leg to knee Amon in the stomach. Without a moment's hesitation however, Amon quickly sidestepped before grabbing Hide's thigh. In one swift movement, Amon flipped his attacker backwards and watched as Hide's back slammed on the ground with a loud splash. "Don't get cocky, trash." Amon muttered as he placed his foot on Hide's throat. "Now leave, final warning." Mado couldn't help but laugh as Amon towered over the would-be attacker. However, Mado's laughter was cut short as the other hooded figure jumped in to tackle Amon. Unfortunately for Kaneki, he hadn't known that he had just tried to attack a top-of-the-class ghoul investigator with a predictable move. "Too slow!" Pressing all his weight on Hide's throat, Amon leaned back as he swung his foot into Kaneki's chest- sending him on the ground as well.

"Not very accustomed to fighting, are you?" Mado mused from the sidelines as he approached Kaneki with a smirk. "A ghoul would have been able to put up much more of a fight than that sorry show of force… So do tell, because you sure as hell have my attention now… What's this…?"

"First-Class Mado, they're getting away!" The investigator with stubble cried out.

Almost having lost interest in both Ryouko and Hinami, Mado peered through the thick rain and managed to focus in on the mother and daughter running back toward the way they came. "What are you waiting for then? An open invitation? Go after them!" Without another word, both lower-ranking investigators pulled out their handguns before giving chase after the mother and daughter. Seeing his underlings disappearing into the thickness of the rain, Mado let out a small sigh. "Look what you made me do… Now, where was I?... Oh yes, the part where I listen to you explain yourselves before you two end up as 'collateral damage'." Realizing that Kaneki had been trying to pick himself up from the ground, Mado quickly ran up to him before stomping down hard on his fingers. "You'll get up when we're done speaking!" Mado shouted before giving a kick to his ribcage. "That is, if we decide that you'll even be getting up… So answer me before I stomp your head in, why the hell did you let those two get away!?"

Kaneki merely shook his head, to which Amon took greater offense to than his superior. Stepping off Hide, Amon grabbed Kaneki up from the ground by his hoodie. "Speak when spoken to, bastard!" Letting go of his suitcase, Amon curled his fingers into a fist before striking Kaneki in between the ribs, to which the younger man let out a gasp as all air escaped from his lungs. "Answer him!" After pulling down Kaneki's handkerchief, Amon could see Kaneki's lips beginning to quiver as he tried to answer, so he held him closer as he stuck his ear out to hear what he had to say. However, the only answer that came out of Kaneki's mouth was spit that found itself inside Amon's ear. "You... Juvenile _piece of shit_!" Using his other hand, Amon grabbed Kaneki by the throat before slamming him into the ground.

Amusement filled Mado's eyes as he watched Kaneki gasping for air. However, it was then that Hide tried to pick himself up, only to be met with same treatment that Mado had oh so graciously provided to Kaneki. However, that time Mado had decided to stomp down on Hide's nose, both breaking and blinding the young man as he let out a muffled grunt. "So much for your little white mask, eh kid?" Mado teased as he watched the once-white handkerchief wrapped around Hide's face turn red within seconds. "Now, how about you answer my question before I _really_ begin to lose my temper."

Going over to Kaneki, Mado crouched down to pull his handkerchief from his face before going back to kneel down beside Hide. Using Kaneki's clean cloth, Mado made sure not to soil his pristine gloves with any blood or mucus as he tore away Hide's bloodied mask. Shutting his eyes in pain, Hide let out a moan. "You… You were attacking that woman and her daughter…"

"And didn't my associate tell you several times to leave the premises?" Mado countered with as he flicked Hide's nose with the edge of the sleeve that contained the mask. "Didn't you hear him? They weren't normal people, they were ghouls."

Hide, despite his immense pain, shook his head and let out a throat laugh. "... Ghouls? You mean that made up shit…? You guys and your company or whatever… Are just a waste of resources…" Finishing off his sentence, Hide tried spitting up into Mado face, but instead he felt blood trickle down the side of his lips.

Sighing, Mado stood up from the young man with a bit of empathy towards him. Not enough for him to regret having beaten the shit out of him, but just enough for him to not to end his life there in the lonely streets. "What shall we do?" Amon asked as he dragged Kaneki on the floor by his hoodie.

Looking over to where his underlings had rushed off to chase after his would-be prey, Mado looked back at Amon with a smirk. "Considering how those two are God-knows-where, I think it's safe to say that we'll have to rely on them on taking down those two ghouls… In the meanwhile," Mado said with a low voice as his eyes focused on Hide, "these two are complete idiots, wouldn't you say?" He chuckle as he slammed his foot into Hide's ribs, and watched with a grin as the young man whined. "Listen here, boy." Mado spoke as he placed his foot over Hide's chest, "Even though I beat you like the dog you were, it's a shame you weren't obedient enough like one to leave while you had the chance… However, I was young like you once, perhaps not as ignorant to world as you are, but I digress, I can see how an idiot such as yourself would want to play hero… I'll show you and your friend mercy this time around." Mado reassured before taking a step off Hide's bruised and broken ribcage. "However… Being a mentor, I've come to understand that with some students, especially those as ignorant and borderline-retarded such as yourselves, I found that _pain_ is a great teacher for the likes of you… Amon," Mado addressed as he turned to face his colleague, "I want you to drag this kid along as well… I think I saw a nice alley where we can 'teach' our 'students' here a lesson about respecting authority."

* * *

"Don't look back, Hinami!" Ryouko shouted to her daughter as she lead them away from their pursuers The thickness of the downpouring rain and sky served as a double-edged blade to their situation. On one hand, the mother and daughter could use the weather to their advantage to lose the men chasing after them; one the other hand, they two could hardly see where they were going. Holding tight to her mother's hand, Hinami could feel her warm tears against the cold rain that soaked her face. She didn't dare think about it, but still, the creeping thought was bearing down on Hinami far more than she could ignore. The fact that both hooded figures smelt like Kaneki and Hide was heartbreaking for Hinami, but despite the guilt of leaving them alone with the two investigators, she felt more fear for what would have happened to both her mother and herself had they'd not been given the chance to run. A part of her, the part that she kept nagging to herself, told her that both young men knew what they were doing, and had wanted her and her mother to run.

"Damn ghouls! Don't they ever get tired!?" The investigator shouted in frustration as he struggled to see through the rain that clouded his glasses. The fact that it was so hard to see on top of the weather conditions made their chase hell, especially when blindly firing their guns was out of the question. Neither men cared about Amon's speech, they had long ago made an agreement on never putting the lives of civilians on the line if the situation didn't call for it. However, both men still kept their eyes locked on the retreating mother and daughter the entire time, despite the trouble they had. "They went through that alley!" He shouted to his partner as they picked up the pace. Following them around the corner, both investigators felt something hit their shins before falling forward onto the ground. "Shit! What the hell?!" Once to his feet, the man helped his partner up to his feet and looked behind them to see what had tripped them, only to be met with a pair of bored looking eyes staring back at them. "What the hell is wrong with you, kid?! We lost those two ghouls because of you!"

Urie brushed his purple bangs from his forehead as he took a moment to eye-up the both of them- the same stoic look on his face never leaving as he did so. "Two ghouls? You (low-ranking) gentlemen must be confused. I've been here for about thirty minutes, I didn't see anyone passing by…" He said, shrugging as he adjusted his earphone. "Although… Since I have your attention… Might I ask you two (morons) a question in turn for answering yours?"

Cursing bitterly under his breath, the investigator with stubble on his chin grunted. "Get the hell out of our way, kid!" He spat out before gesturing to his partner to run around the bored looking young man. However, this would prove to be a fruitless attempt as both men were shoved backwards with ease by Urie. "Goddamnit kid, fuck off!" He shouted as he and his partner raised their guns at the young man.

In one quick movement, Urie raised both his hands out to wrap his fingers around both men's wrist. A loud crack was heard and both men let out a scream as they released their grip from their pistols. Before they could even begin to fall down, both firearms were then held in each of Urie's hands as he pressed the barrels of the guns directly on both foreheads of the men. "Now that I have your full attention, allow me to ask my question." Urie announced casually as he was met with fearful looks coming from both investigators. "Have either of you seen (talking to you, four-eyes) two young men around these parts? Both have light skin, however, one has black hair and grey eyes, the other has strawberry blond hair and brown eyes… Have you've seen anyone who fits that description?"

The man with stubble on his chin looked up in horror- his lips quivering as they parted. "Are you… A ghoul?!"

"No." A flash of lightning lit up the alley, giving the fearful man with stubble a clear look on how bored and careless the young man looked as he used the man's forehead to cock back the gun. Under the protection of the booming thunder, the back of the man's head burst. Having witnessed the death of his partner, the man with glasses let out a wail as he watched Urie push the man's lifeless body back with the barrel of his smoking gun. The only thing bringing the hysterical man back to reality was the sound of his own gun cocking back. "It would be smart of you to think about what you're going to say next."

Gulping down what fear he could, a small whine escaped his lips as he looked up at Urie with a pleading look. "I… I don't know! I haven't seen anyone like that… Please, I have a family…" He choked out before sobbing.

"I see… Well, thank you for your time…" Urie said as he pulled the barrel away from the man's forehead, who let out a cry of relief as he covered his face.

"T-Thank you-"

"Unfortunately, considering how you've seen my face, I can't allow for you to live." Urie's words felt like daggers that pierced the man's hopes. Falling forward, the investigator barely managed to catch himself before hitting the ground as he felt dread over take him. "I apologize, I sincerely do. However, you did mention that you have a family," Urie stated as put the safety on for the gun he had used to kill the other man.

"Please… F-For the love of God! _They have nothing to do with this, for Christ's sake!_ " He pleaded as he let out a sob.

Although he found the sight pathetic, and was somewhat surprised that the man hadn't even bothered to fight back, Urie let out a sigh. "I take it you have a cellphone. It's up to you, but I'll let you call or leave a voicemail to your family before we wrapped things up… I believe that it would be better to not worry them… And for their sakes, don't mention me." Minutes felt like an eternity to the investigator by the time he sat up. Trying to ignore the barrel of the gun aimed at his head, he held back his tears as he brought out his cellphone.

When the man brought the phone to his ear, Urie waited patiently and listened carefully for what could sound like a clue relating toward his involvement for man's late-night phone call. Biting back his tears, the man prepared himself for his final message when the dial tone he heard ended with with his daughter's voicemail. "... S-Sweety… You're a big girl now, and you even so, you still know that you'll… you'll always be daddy's little girl, don't you?... Of course you do… Daddy loves you, and there's not a day that goes by when I thank God for bringing you into my life… You know, there's going to be a time when daddy has to leave this world, and… and when that day comes, you have be strong enough to look after mommy... I-I love you very much, and I'll always love you… Please know you've given me so much happiness, and even… even… even when I'm busy with work… there's nothing that I regret, because I'll always know that I brought you into this world, angel… I'll always be the happiest daddy on Earth because of you… Remember, when that day comes… Daddy will always be watching from above to make sure you grow up rightly to be a good girl... Please… please, oh for the love of God, please be good… I love you, and always will…" Even though leaving such a message for his daughter was painful, the man couldn't help but feel somewhat thankful for being able to say goodbye. It was far more than his partner and other fallen ghoul investigators ever had.

"... You're a good man." With that said, Urie made sure to take extra time in aiming the sights of the gun to prevent any unnecessary pain to the father. The alley lit up once more, except that time, there was no lightning nor thunder to mask what Urie had done.

* * *

The following day, the rain passed, but that didn't mean Touka didn't find it irritating to tread through; especially considering the fact that she had already been in a bad mood. "I really missed the mark…" She said with a sigh as she went through the alley that led right toward Anteiku. "I suck at classical literature so much…" She whined to herself as she approached the front door, and was met with a 'close' sign in front of the door. ' _Was today supposed to be a day off…?_ ' She thought to herself. Letting herself in, the sound of the bell ringing above the frame of the door echoed through Anteiku. Inside, she was surprised to see both Kaneki and Hide sitting down at a booth. "Good morning… Hey, what's with the grim and dim? Do either of you know why we're closed, or was that a mistake?" She asked as she approached the booth.

Hide let out a low laugh as he raised himself from the booth. "Heh… Yeah, I was… I was actually going to do something about that…" He spoke in intervals of breath as he cletched his ribcage. "Maybe I should… turn on a radio if we… shit-" The moment Hide placed his foot down outside the booth, he tumbled over and fell to the ground with hard thud.

Surprised at how he didn't even bother to catch himself, Touka was even more shocked by how Kaneki barely reacted at all. Although he clearly had a concern tone on his face, Kaneki just continued to sit with his head slumped down on the table. "Wow, you fell harder than my GPA- What the hell!?" When she got a better look at Hide, she took notice of his torn clothing, and how it was matted with dry blood. In the distance, she had first thought that they were both wearing the same reddish-brown colored hoodies. It took a minute for Hide to move his arm up on the seat of the booth. "For the love… Here." Touka muttered as she helped Hide back up to his seat. She grimaced upon seeing how much of a darker shade of red the front of his hoodie had been compared to the back. "Holy shit, rough night?" Touka asked with a chuckle as she did her best to lighten up the mood. "How about you Kaneki, I take it you didn't do much better." She said jokingly, but when she was met with a tired gaze, she felt herself shudder slightly.

"We've… We've _definitely_ had better…" Hide replied back sarcastically as his head dropped with the table. "But hey… damn this hurts… could have gone worse…"

Touka couldn't help but stifle a snort as she shook her head. "Yeah, if you say so, dumbass."

"Touka, please try and not give them such a hard time." Looking away from the two bloodied best friends, Touka was met with Yoshimura's frown.

"Ah, so you are here after all." Touka mused as she faced the manager. "The sign was turned the wrong way, and more importantly, please listen to this! I failed my test!"

"... Ha… You suck..." Hide muttered jokingly, to which he received a punch in the arm from the irritated waitress. "Damn…! Careful, I'm sore there… and every other place too…"

"Touka… Could you come upstairs?" The low tone that the manager used along side with his frown was very much unlike him, and Touka could only guess that it wasn't because of her and Hide's antics.

"... Sure…?" Before turning the corner that led upstairs, Touka looked back over her shoulder to see Yoshimura standing over Hide and Kaneki. She caught glance of the manager patting both young men on the shoulder gently, and even saw a glimpse of a small smile across his lips. "... Wonder what happened…" She muttered to herself before making her way to the hallway upstairs. Seeing the only the door opened led to the same room Ryouko and Hinami had been staying, Touka made her way inside. Sitting at the furthest couch from the door, both Koma and the other waitress at Anteiku, Irimi, looked back at Touka wordlessly. Parallel from the couch that the two workers sat, Ryouko looked back with a saddened frown as Hinami rested her head into her lap; the only way of Touka knowing that Hinami had even been there was the fact that her feet dangled from the side of the couch. Standing beside the mother and father, Yomo stood with the same stoic expression he always had as he kept his arms crossed. "Even you're here..." Touka addressed toward Yomo with a wave of dreading creeping up her spine. "... Did something happen?"

Coming up from behind her, Yoshimura stood quietly for a moment before a soft sigh escaped his lips. "... Mrs. Fueguchi and Hinami were discovered last night, and chased until they took refuge in Anteiku." Yoshimura informed Touka. "Last night, after they left, Hide and Kaneki chased after them… If it hadn't been for them, neither Mrs. Fueguchi or Hinami would have had the chance to escape…"

"Were they followed?" Yomo asked as he looked down at the mother and child. Judging by the look on their faces, Yomo had decided that it would be best to direct the question to the manager rather than them.

"When they ran, two investigators chased after them."

Nervous, Touka gritted her teeth before slamming her fist against the frame of the door. "... What the fuck…? Now they know where we are then…?" Taking a large breath in, she let out a frustrated groan as she held onto the part of the frame where she had hit. "We should track them down and kill those doves before those guys have a chance to investigate-"

"The men that had been pursuing didn't get the chance to catch them entering Anteiku." Yoshimura interrupted as she placed his hand on Touka's shoulder reassuringly.

"How do you know…?"

"Because I found the two doves with bullet holes through their heads." Yomo replied. "I already taken care of the bodies and made sure there wasn't any blood or casings to be found."

"Good." Touka said bitterly with a small smile on her face. "Then why the hell is everyone so down in the shits? That's a win for us, right?"

"Not necessarily." Yoshimura stated as he took his hand away from Touka's shoulder. "There were the two other senior investigators we still don't know of. The ones that Kaneki and Hide confronted."

"Great… So those two dipshits blew our cover and-"

"Touka… Please do not speak ill of those two." Ryouko pleaded as she interrupted the waitress. "They didn't use their kagunes nor did they use any of their abilities on purpose… They were severely beaten for several hours just so that my daughter and I could escape."

Yomo nodded. "If you think they look bad now, you should have seen how much blood was splattered across the alley where I found them at."

Beginning to feel frustrated, Touka ran her fingers through her bangs as she let out a groan. "Okay, Hide and Kaneki got roughed up a bit, those assholes who were chasing Mrs. Fueguchi and Hinami are as good as dead, and no one suspects Anteiku of anything… I don't get why you guys are making such a big deal out of this."

"But there is a big deal here, Touka." Yoshimura corrected with a patient stare, "considering how two doves have gone 'MIA' in the CCG's records, there'll be more of their presence here than what we're used to… Also, no one is to travel after dark unless absolutely necessary from now on; especially Mrs. Fueguchi and Hinami... We're up for some hard times in the future, I can feel it."

"... Is that a joke?" Touka asked. "We're already fucking on edge as it is, the last thing we need is some damn doves poking their damn heads where they don't belong… We should just kill them all and be done with their shit… Hell, since even Yomo is here, then with everyone's cooperation we…"

"We can't." Yomo said as he finished Touka's sentence. "If anymore lives of doves are taken in the 20th Ward, then they'll start focusing even more on this area… If that happens, those of the 'nest' will send in new doves one by one to this place… Until we're all hunted down… Understand that, Touka."

"But…"

"It's as Yomo says, we mustn't get mixed up with those guys… That's the best thing to do for everyone's safety…"

"... The best thing?" Touka muttered back with disbelief. "Even though our friends have been murdered, beaten the shit out of, and nearly caught, you're just going to suck on your thumb and watch quietly…? That's the best thing to you, manager?" Touka spat back. "Hinami's father was killed by the doves, and if it hadn't been for those two clowns downstairs, Ryouko and Hinami might have been next… It would be pathetic if we didn't attack the enemy…!"

Silently, Yoshimura's patience stood strong as he waited for Touka to calm down before speaking once more. "... The pathetic thing... Is not that we won't attack the enemy." He stated as he shook his head in disappointment. "The truly pitiful thing is… to be consumed with the desire for revenge and being unable to live one's own life."

Shock replaced the emotion of bitterness for only a moment before Touka's glare intensified. "Are you… Talking about me?"

Yoshimura didn't answer verbally, he didn't have to. All he had to do was give Touka a knowing stare back to send her grudgingly slamming the door behind her as she left the room. Stepping behind the couch Ryouko and Hinami were on, Yoshimura placed his hand on the mother's shoulders in reassurance. "... Don't worry about that. It seems she has a lot of things to think about." He reassured Ryouko with a gentle smile before looking up at the waiter and waitress across from him. "Koma, Irimi, you've already received the pictures of the investigators from Yomo, haven't you?"

"We have." Koma replied back with a nod.

"Don't even consider getting involved with them. And please urge the customers to be cautious again too… You may all go home." Walking pass Ryouko and Hinami, the three underlings did their best to comfort the mother and daughter before returning to their day. After they had left, Yoshimura made his way to the couch that Koma and Irimi had been sitting at before taking a seat himself. "No one thinks you did anything wrong." Yoshimura said matter-of-factly directly toward Hinami. "Even we ghouls are hesitant to go up against the investigators. Above all else, you were able to escape and keep your mother and yourself safe from harm. If only I had heeded Hide's advice, and persisted that you stayed the night… I am sorry."

Ryouko shook her head. "... Don't blame yourself… I've been too careless as of lately… That's changing starting right now…" Ryouko stated before a deep sigh escaped from her as she gazed down at the coffee table. "... Maybe then those poor boys wouldn't have had to endure that…"

"... Don't blame yourself, Mrs. Fueguchi…"

* * *

Sitting there at the booth, Hide and Kaneki both received a congratulations from Koma and Irimi as they left. Except for Yomo, who merely gave them an approving nod on the way out. "Damn… Aren't these painkillers supposed to… you know… kill pain?" Hide mused as he shook the bottle of ibuprofen in his hand.

It wasn't long until Hide begun to shake the bottle of pills as if it were a rattle. "Oh my- shit- God… Stop that already…" Kaneki groaned as he threw his nearly-limp hand to slap the bottle out of Hide's hand. "You know… when you… when you said that you wanted to… to make sure that they got back safe… I didn't expect to get the hell beaten out of me…"

When Hide let out a low chuckle, he immediately winced at the pain in his ribs. "Gonna be honest… Didn't expect to get the shit beat out us either… Sort of makes Nishiki's fight seem like… seem like a goddamn tickle fight, huh?"

"I… I guess… ow." Kaneki said with a small grin of his own. "Makes sense… The fight with Nishiki only lasted… about five minutes…" He said before chuckling. "Damn, this hurts…"

"Hey dickheads." Looking over to who had called them, Hide and Kaneki watched as Touka slammed down several-wrapped cupcakes. Sure they weren't homemade, and sure, they were the generic kind of hostess cupcakes, but the sight was a stark of beauty in the eyes of the hungry quinx. "Consider this payment for taking one for the team… Also, consider this as you two being in debt to me." Touka said with a smirk. "When you two feel less like shit, I want you to meet up with me later… I have some work that needs to be done… Alright, cya." With that said, Touka turned around to head upstairs to her room.

"She couldn't… she couldn't even unwrap them first…" Hide whined as he struggled to tear into the plastic. "Hey… Do you remember when I said that I wasn't… I wasn't going to regret what I was going to do to that asshole earlier…?"

Using his kagune, Kaneki made sure that his finger was covered in armor and extremely sharp so he could pierce the wrapping with ease. "What about it…?"

"... I still stand by it… What about you? Any regrets?"

"... No, none that I can think of…"

"... Good."

* * *

 ** _The reason why the part where the investigator says goodbye to his daughter was so hard for me to write? Because it was based off a real letter that a dying father wrote to his daughter._ **


	9. Savage

_**Sorry this took a bit to write, haha. You know how writer's block goes, as in the words of Jay-Z "You know how that shit go." I mean… Was it Jay-Z? Kanye West? I don't know, either way, no new reviews yet, so I can't really answer any questions and stuff. Thank you for reading this far, and please, let me know what you think of the story in either a review or a PM. Thank you, Papa Bless, and have a good day/night.**_

* * *

Although Amon knew that if neither investigators had been found by then, certainly he wasn't going to fare any better. Even with the black sky hovering over like an ominous presence, since the night before, Amon felt at ease with his surroundings; though, he still kept his wits about. His fruitless walk around the 20th Ward as he searched for any signs of the missing two investigators had led him down a street that smelt like steamed vegetables and broth. Having been walking around late at night for a few hours, Amon could feel his mouth watering as the enticing smell found its way through his nostrils. Coming to a stop, Amon stuck his hands in his trench coat's pockets as he looked up at the glowing sign of the restaurant. "... I wonder what's cooking…" He mused to himself as he slid open the panel door before stepping inside.

Standing behind a grill, a middle aged man dressed in frycook-attire smiled at him as Amon made his way behind the counter before pulling a bar stool out to sit on. "Welcome friend, what can I start you off with?"

"Shrimp and vegetables… Large." Amon ordered. As he waited for his food, he couldn't help but notice the odd looks the cook had been giving him from time to time as he prepared the bowl of noodles. "Is there something you need?"

Looking embarrassed, the middle aged man shook his head before letting out a small nervous laugh. "No, no, nothing important… It's just that I couldn't help but notice that there coat you got on ya'." He explained as he begun to add seasonings to the bowl. "Ya' see, I read the news about these two investigators, maybe you know them or not… Sorry for the wait, here you are sir." Putting down the bowl of freshly steamed noodles on the counter in front of Amon, the cook took a moment to take a sip from his soda before continuing. "Kusaba and Nakajima were the name of those investigators missing… Shame what happened, they used to be regulars…"

"It happens all the time." Amon brushed off as he snapped his chopsticks apart. "Even earnest people often throw their lives away…"

"Hey now, they're not dead! The news just says that they're missing is all!" The man protested. "You just have to have hope in the CCG! Just you wait and see, pal!" Rather than arguing with the man with his own opinion, Amon simply nodded before taking a bite. Despite the fact that he had a feeling that both men were dead, hearing civilians such as the cook having such confidence in the CCG made Amon feel good.

* * *

While Touka was usually one to go out around the 20th Ward with nothing but her own two feet, especially when the need to go scouting came up, she found herself in the passenger's seat of Hide's car with Kaneki sitting in the backseat. Having patrolled the streets for a few hours, their luck changed upon seeing a tall man in a grey trenchcoat exiting from a noodle house as they drove by it. Having been done with trying to find a radio station since an hour ago, the excitement that flooded Touka's heart was welcomed upon seeing the man's features. "Hey Kaneki, was that the guy?" Looking back, her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw Kaneki seemingly staring off into space. "Hey!"

Trying his best to cast off the illusion that he had been looking, Kaneki simply nodded with a positive tone as he rubbed his chin. "... Yes." He mumbled. After trying his best to play off his lie, it wasn't long until Touka's glare made him lose his cool appearance. "...I didn't get a good look at him… But I mean, I'm pretty sure it _could_ be-"

"-It was for sure that guy," Hide interrupted as he continued to drive at a slower pace, "I'm pretty sure he was with some old guy that called him 'Amon' at one point… Not sure if that's his real name or not."

With the car moving at a slower pace, it only took a second for Touka to point over to where she wanted Hide to park. Tucked between two warehouses in an alley, Touka quickly pulled her hair back before applying a hairnet on to herself. "Okay, put on your disguises now!" Touka ordered. With her pink wig that hung down to just above the navel of her belly button, she wrapped the bands of her white rabbit mask behind her head before pulling her hood up over her wig. Having not received their masks yet from Uta, both Hide and Kaneki were given two black respirator masks that covered the bottom halves of their face. Before reaching the handle of the door to exit, Touka took a moment to pause so she could give one last glance at the two she had brought with her. Just as she had expected, both young men looked hesitant as they stared at the cans of hair-coloring spray in their hands. "Your hair better look different by the time I come back…" She muttered threateningly- resisting the urge to slam the door behind her as she left the vehicle.

Using the roof of the car as leverage, Touka leapt into the air toward the side of the warehouse that led to the same direction the suspected man was last seen. Narrowly grabbing hold of the bottom step of the ladder that led up to the balcony of the warehouse, Touka pulled herself up before beginning to make the ascent. About three steps into climbing, the ladder begun to creak. Trying not to think too much of it, Touka quickened her strides up toward the top of the ladder; despite the creaking becoming louder with each passing second. Nearly toward the top of the ladder, Touka readied herself to leap up onto the balcony when a new sound became apparent to her: snapping. Looking up at the top of where the ladder had been connected to the balcony, Touka's heart skipped a beat as she noticed the ladder beginning to fall back. "Shit, shit, shit!" She cursed to herself as she hauled ass up the steps of the ladder. Taking a leap off from the final step, the top of the rusty ladder tore the skirt she wore as it made it descent down toward the bottom of the alley. Considering that there was a car below her, the ruined skirt immediately became the least of her concerns. "... Well shit." Dangling from the side of the balcony, she winced as the large metallic object fell straight down on the hood of the car. Without missing a beat, the car's alarm screeched through the once quiet streets. ' _So much for a stealthy approach…'_

Before daring to exit the vehicle, Hide and Kaneki both scrambled toward the cans of hairspray that they tossed into the passenger's seat. After a rushed job of spraying each other's hair, Hide stepped out of the car with red hair while Kaneki made his way beside his best friend with a head of white hair. Looking up toward Touka, Hide raised his arms in disbelief. Touka looked as though she was about to retort, but instead her eyes caught the glimpse of a beam of light being shone just from around the corner of the warehouse. Watching her pulling herself up before disappearing out of sight, Hide let out a groan. "God damnit…" He muttered under his breath as he and Kaneki looked over their shoulders to be instantly dazed by a bright light.

Having risen their arms to shield themselves from the sudden bright light, Hide and Kaneki peered over their forearms to see two men in white trench coats approaching them. "Evening gentlemen," the man holding the flashlight greeted as he and his partner advanced towards Hide and Kaneki, "mind shutting off that alarm for us, sir?" Gesturing towards Hide with his flashlight, the man waited patiently as he watched Hide push the ladder off the hood of the car before reaching underneath the hood. Within a minute, the alarm was cut off, and so the late night ambience came peacefully back. "Better…" The man chuckled as he looked over to Kaneki, who looked visibly nervous. "Calm down son, we're just officers on patrol, no need to panic." He reassured the young man.

Now within five feet of Kaneki and the car, the other officer gestured Hide over. "It's past curfew, mind explaining what you two boys are doing out this late at night?" The grizzled large officer asked in a low tone. Feeling somewhat nervous, Hide caught glimpse as the large officer eyed him up and down. "I asked you a question."

"... We just got back from a rave." Hide replied casually. Pointing to his hair, Hide let out a chuckle, "I mean, you can probably tell that this is hair spray, right? Plus, if you look in the car, you'll find me and my friend's masks in the passenger's seat." Glaring deeper into Hide's unyielding grin, the large officer looked over toward his partner, who had his flashlight shining inside the vehicle. "Oohashi?"

"Yep, looks like two respirators in the seat, Tomino." Officer Oohashi replied with a thumbs up.

Hearing the name of the first officer, Hide repeated the name back to himself under his breath a few times before his eyes widened. "Oohashi… Oohashi!" Confused, the officer looked toward Hide with a cocked eyebrow. "You're Mr. Oohashi?!"

"Er… Yeah, I am." The officer replied back in an uneasy tone. "... I'm sorry, do I know you, or are you just obsessed with saying my name?"

Hide shook his head quickly a few times before pointing to himself. "It's me, Hide Nagachika! You have daughter who worked over at Big Girl Restaurant!" Hide stated as his face lit up.

Hearing from the young man that he knew that he had a daughter, Officer Oohashi took a moment to reluctantly think back to that night he had rushed from work over to the hospital after having received a call that his daughter had been attacked by a ghoul. He also thought back to the next day when his daughter told him the details of the attack, and who had rescued her. "... Dear God, you were the one who rescued my little girl?!" No longer bearing to put up the cop-front, Officer Oohashi made his way over to Hide so he could wrap his arms around him. Both Kaneki and Officer Tomino gave each other an awkward look as they waited for the hug to end. Parting away from the somewhat shocked young man, Officer Oohashi patted Hide on the shoulder with a smile on his face. "… I know that I can't really repay you for saving my daughter's life, but you don't think that you can come over sometime so my wife and I can cook you a meal as our way of saying thanks?"

Had it been Kaneki who was given the offer, Hide knew that he would have politely refused. However, he was not his best friend nor did he claim to be; nigh, he was a man of opportunity, and what better opportunity than to eat a free meal and possibly get to know the man's daughter some more? Besides, it would have been rude of him to deny a father's request. "Sure, sounds good to me man!... So like, do you want my number or..."

Seeing how it was clear that the man's biased look toward his daughter's savior would mean that it was more than likely that they would have let Hide and him off the hook, Kaneki begun to calm down. He hadn't noticed it, but as soon as he hopped up to take a seat on the dented hood of the car, he let out his longly-held breath before staring up into the night sky. Before he could think to process how close they were to being asked for their vehicle's registration and possibly then getting arrested, Kaneki's eyes wandered over to where the balcony that Touka had pulled herself on. Kaneki couldn't help but feel bothered by the fact that she had completely abandoned them and had left them for the wolves.

* * *

Having heard the sound of a car alarm being set off in the near the distance, Amon felt compelled to go investigate. It wasn't long until he spotted two CCG patrol officers entering the alley. Slowing down his jog into a cautious walk, Amon listened carefully after the alarm had been shut off. Amon considered offering assistance to the officers, however, soft footsteps very nearby had caught his attention instead. Being an academy graduate, nonetheless the top of his class, aside from learning on about laws involving ghouls, one of the lessons taught during his training was on how to tell if you were being followed. Taking out his phone, he kept the monitor off and instead used the reflection of the screen to look behind him to see nothing. Rather than looking over his shoulder to make sure, Amon tilted the screen up slightly, and felt his heart skip a beat as he soon noticed an eerie rabbit mask staring at him. Putting back his phone, he slowly reached into his trench coat to pull a pistol from his harness. In one quick movement, he turned the safety off and cocked back the slide before quickly turning around to aim.

However, seeing how the masked ghoul had heard him cocking the pistol before he had a chance to turn around, Amon was forced to instead roll out of the way from the diving kick aimed toward him. Quick to his feet, Amon was forced once again to jump back as Touka followed up her failed attack with a low roundhouse. Firing from the hip, Amon felt his eyes widen as he watched Touka quickly evade the shot before rushing toward him. Using the butt of the gun, Amon swung against Touka's leg as she leapt for another kick. ' _The way she carries herself… The strength of a single attack!'_ "Guh!?" Rather than going against the force of Amon's attempted parry, Touka used Amon's forearm to spin herself around so she could bash her foot against the back of his head. Falling to the ground, Amon knew without a doubt that who he was fighting was a ghoul. Tumbled back with the tremendous force, Amon was able to rebound himself by placing his feet down to slide back with the force. Unfortunately, despite his successful recovery, his back was met the brick wall of the warehouse's entrance. Raising his gun in front of him, he aimed down the sights to see Touka rushing toward him with her kagune emitting from her left shoulder. Despite his predicament, Amon couldn't help but think back to his studies, and quickly recognized her kagune being a Ukaku type, which meant twinkling feather. It all made sense to him then why she was so instantaneous with her attacks. Having been hit in the head, he couldn't help but laugh to himself as he watched each shot miss. _'I should have noticed sooner…! If I take a hit from that claw, I'll die for sure!'_ Hearing the click of gun, Amon threw his weapon at the handgun at the incoming ghoul in desperation. As if faith were mocking him, the gun bounced off Touka's mask without so much as stunning her. Just then, he watched as Touka's shoulder burst into a gory mess of blood, flesh, and clothing. Flying back with the force of the shotgun, Touka let out a loud grunt as she slid away from Amon. Beside him, both officers that had investigated the alley stood at the ready with their shotguns aimed on Touka. "You look like you could use some help, investigator." Officer Oohashi taunted with a playful grin as he aimed down the sights of his shotgun. Still recovering from his dazed vision, Amon could only watched as Touka's kagune fired a series of crystallized projectiles toward them.

"Get down!" Officer Tomino shouted as he tackled Amon to the floor. Using his body as a shield, Tomino let out a cry of pain before going limp. Looking over the shoulder of his rescuer, Amon looked upon the man's back to see a dozen projectiles buried deep into his spine.

"Shit…" Amon cursed underneath his breath as he pushed the limp corpse of the fallen officer off of him.

Having taken a moment to witness what had happened to his partner, Officer Oohashi gritted his teeth before let out a battle cry. Ducking down from the shotgun's fire, Touka managed to barely avoid having her head blown off at the cost of her kagune shattering from the blast of the shotgun. Leaping from the floor, Touka grabbed the officer by the throat, only for her to fall to the floor with a thud. Grasping at his throat, Officer Oohashi saw the smoking barrel of his deceased partner's shotgun after held by Amon. Holding onto her leg, Touka let out a wail of pain as she winced upon seeing her own femur. "Nice… Shot…" Officer Oohashi said through gasps of breath.

Although the situation was looking good for the two of them, a sudden fist against his forehead instantly knocked out Officer Ohashi. Looking over the unconscious man's body, Amon looked up to see a familiar looking young man with a radiator mask and white hair. Raising the barrel of shotgun at Kaneki, Amon squeezed the trigger, only for his shot to completely miss after a pair of hands pushed the barrel into the air. Beside him, Amon begun to struggle for control of the weapon as Touka begun to violently wrestle the investigator for his gun. "I'm gonna to fucking shoot your dick off…!" Touka muttered hatefully through breaths as she pulled on the weapon. It wasn't long until Hide approached from behind Amon to lock his arms behind his back. Having ambushed Amon, Hide pulled the still dazed man to his feet while holding his arms behind his back. Smiling sadistically, Touka took hold of the shotgun before giving it a satisfying pump. "Hold him still!" Touka ordered as she lowered the barrel of the gun to the man's crotch. Luckily for Amon, considering that her shoulder hadn't yet healed yet, Kaneki was easily able to take the shotgun away from Touka before she could fire the shot. "What the fuck...?"

"Don't… I should have known that you were going to do something like this." Kaneki stated flatly as he gestured toward Amon, "You were supposed to talk to him…" Despite not having a personal connection to either officers, Kaneki wasn't at all thrilled that one of them had been killed. Holding the shotgun underneath his armpit, Kaneki knelt over to assist Touka up, to which instinctively, she raised her good arm up to shove him away. However, Touka soon accepted his offer and wrapped her good arm over his neck while getting up with the leg that hadn't been shot.

"Fin- shit!" Touka cursed as she caught glimpse of a long white appendage flying toward them. Pushing Kaneki down on the ground, Touka heard a grinding sound as the apparatus tore through part of her rabbit mask.

"Touka?!" Hide shouted in shock. Looking over to where the attack had come from, Hide had unknowingly given Amon a window of opportunity to break free of his grasp. Still near the brick wall of the warehouse's front entrance, Amon jumped back with Hide still behind him and butted the back of his head into Hide's nose as they slammed against the wall. Rolling away from Hide, Amon looked up to see his partner creeping nearer from the shadows.

"Amon…" Mado addressed with a thin smile plastered across his lips. "That's no good, you know? You mustn't forget your quinque." With that said, Mado brought his whip-like kagune back up with a snap in the air as he grew nearer. Knowing what was to come, Amon crawled away toward the safety that Mado's presence brought. Looking down at the young man's bruised face, Mado sighed. "Geez… Handsome men are spoiled." Mado mused jokingly before looking over toward Kaneki and Touka. "Falling to the same level as an unequal ghoul and the same dipshits from last time." Upon hearing his, Kaneki's eyes widened as he was met with a knowinging look from the first class investigator. "Did you really believe that some cheap hair dye and painter's gear would fool me?" Looking back at Amon, Mado chuckled. "I value your enthusiasm, but you mustn't lose your composure, Amon… I'll show you how it's done. So watch me." Glancing up, Touka pointed out to Kaneki the quinque's tendril being swung down toward them, and after giving her a confirming nod, Kaneki clumsily aimed the gun at the incoming attack. Unfortunately, Kaneki had never actually fired a gun, let alone ever touched one before. Jerking back the trigger, Kaneki dropped the gun in shock from the recoil of the shotgun just in time to see the gun split in half from the quinque. "Nice try, kid!" Mado said tauntingly before whipping back the tendril to ready another attack. Without thinking, Kaneki threw Touka a little harder than he had intended toward the direction of the other side of the street; unfortunately for her, he had thrown her through the window of an antique store. "Well now, I suppose you are a ghoul after all!" Ducking down, Kaneki slid back from the attack as he back rolled up to his feet.

"...Oh!" Mado said amusingly as he took a step closer. "It's been a long time since I've met someone who can dodge this! Spectacular, spectacular…" Mado said as he gave a mocking clap of applause for Kaneki, "... Come to think of it… The ghoul I killed during my previous case was pretty strong and gave me a lot of trouble… I still remember it well…" With a twitch in his eye, both Mado's eyes shot open wide as he stared intently at the look of uneasiness Kaneki had on his face. "In the end, he couldn't do anything and died a pitiable death… Haha… HAHAHA! That's pretty funny, isn't it?" Standing still, Mado chuckled. "How odd… You appear hesitant to attack me it seems."

"... Someone already lost their life tonight… Someone whose family will be waiting for him, only… Only to receive word that he won't be coming home…" Kaneki stated silently as his gaze fixed upon Officer Tomino's lifeless body before returning eye contact with Mado, who for the briefest of moments, had a surprised look on his face. "There's isn't any reason to fight..."

However, any signs of surprisement were overshadowed by the pure disgust on Mado's face. "Dumbass!" Mado shouted hatefully with a sadistic smirk crossing his lips. "... I hate when _your_ kind tries to pretend to have human emotions… Erasing your existence won't be enough for me… I wonder how much _trash_ like you I've buried up until this point?" The loud sound of a propeller became audible as dozens of red lights from the surrounding rooftops caught Kaneki's attention. Looking over his shoulder from where the red dots aimed at Kaneki's were being casted from caused Mado to sigh. "Well now, look what you've done…" He said with a chuckle. "Your hypocritical speech only succeeded in providing time for unneeded reinforcements to arrive… Hmm?" Having to pause after seeing Kaneki's body lit up, Mado looked over his shoulder and was met with a pair of headlights from a car rushing toward him at top speed. Peering over the lights, Mado saw the same young man who had ambushed Amon and beside him on the passenger's seat was the rabbit mask staring back at him. "Now you're just annoying me." Ducting down to swoop Amon into one arm, Mado used his quinque to grapple alongside the nearby warehouse's balcony just in time to avoid the oncoming car. Several lights switched focus and begun to fire at the roof of the car in barrage of bullets. Before the remaining guns aimed at Kaneki could be fired, he threw himself forward just in time to avoid being turned into swiss cheese. Shattering the window with her good arm, as soon as the car came alongside with Kaneki, Touka leaned out the window to quickly pull him inside the car.

Descending down the building with Amon in his grasp, Mado watched as the car drove away from the scene, it wasn't long until several CCG patrol cars begun to give chase with a helicopter overhead. Although he had wanted the three of them to die, Mado hated the idea of them perishing in a car chase instead of dying to his own hands.

* * *

Gripping tightly on the wheel of his shot up car, Hide gritted his teeth. Had his sideview mirror still been in place, he would have seen the flashing lights of patrol vehicles catching up to their damaged vehicle. "Shit, why couldn't this car be a sports model…" Hide chuckled nervously as he shook his head.

After Kaneki had crawled in the back seat, Touka tore off her wig and mask before letting out a wail of pain. " _GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!_ " Clutching onto her arm, she crossed her good leg over the wound on her other leg as she slammed her fist against the dashboard. "I'll… I'll fucking kill those _bastards_ for this!"

"Well, that's not happening anytime soon, so just focus on not bleeding out…!" Hide retorted sarcastically before making a sharp turn. "Kaneki, give her a hand before-!" Up from above the helicopter, a well placed round fired found its way toward the hoodless engine of the car. Unlike the other bullets that had been fired at them, a small explosion formed from the impact. "... Well shit." Hide muttered as he watched the front of the car beginning to catch fire. "What the hell Kaneki! I thought you said this shit only happens in movies!" Had their situation been less dire, Hide would have told them that he was about to drive off from the very place that Yomo came to collect dead bodies from. Ironically, according to his calculations, they had just broke through the same rail that Kaneki had almost fell over.

Losing control of the wheel, only one word came out of Hide's mouth as they drove down the slope. " _JUMP!_ " Adrenaline had been coursing through all their veins, so without a second thought, the three of them jumped out just as the car crashed into a large tree. Knowing that Touka was in no shape to move on her own, Hide ran to carry Touka further into the forest as Kaneki followed suite. Dying in the same place as its previous owner, the car exploded into a massive fireball that sent the three flying forward from the blast. Using his own body the shield Touka, Hide embraced her as they rolled into the forest while Kaneki was flung into a tree. With his back against the tree, Kaneki's vision begun to fade; the roaring fire of the car began to appear more and more gentle, like a family fireplace.

* * *

 _A cool gentle breeze caused Kaneki's eyes to gently flutter open. Looking down at the grass below him, Kaneki relaxed his back up against the trunk of the tree as he sat underneath the welcomed shade area casted down from the green leaves above. Running a finger through the perfect blades of grass, Kaneki found himself not wanting to leave the spot underneath the tree and instead closed his eyes back as he laid his head against the trunk. "There'll be a time for you to rest here for as long as you want," a voice came from the opposite side of the tree, "however, now's not the time for rest."_

" _... I know… Just catching my breath is all.'_

* * *

A sudden shock awoke Kaneki from his unconsciousness as he began to gasp for air. Still up in flames, the destroyed car lit up the surrounding woods to reveal armed CCG patrollers with their guns locked on him. Suddenly, a single officer in the middle grunted in shock as he raised his arm in the air. "Damn, it's still alive! Fir-" Just as the man swung his arm down to give the signal to open fire, a sudden bright red light caused the officers to flinch back in shock. Trying to open fire on their own accord proved useless, and after taking a moment to look under their sights, the officers had found the lower portions of their rifles to be completely eviscerated.

Focusing back on their target, they watched the young man on his feet covered in a black kagune that shone red through its exposed sections. Kaneki's eyes scanned horizontally at the men as they glared back at him. Baring his teeth, Kaneki's eye turned red as the light of the helicopter focused on him.

Raining down a barrage of rifle rounds, Kaneki quickly ran behind a thick tree for cover. With more and more rounds fired, Kaneki knew that it was only a matter of time before there wasn't a tree to protect him. "Damn it… Huh?" Looking down at where his hands were, Kaneki watched as smoke began to rise from underneath his palms. Observing, he noticed that his palms were igniting the bark of the tree. Just as a loud crack shot out from the gunfire, Kaneki quickly dove forward into a bush as what remained of the tree splintered in embers upon hitting the ground. Looking around him, Kaneki watched as the surrounding foliage began to ignite as the patrol unit retreated away from the roaring flames. "You'd go this far...?" Kaneki muttered as he stared intently up at the helicopter. The respirator, shriveled up from the heat as he watched the helicopter flying idly by. No longer able to stand the rising smoke, the helicopter turned around as it retreated as well. Giving a once over of his surrounding area, Kaneki's kagune cooled back down to it's usual form before he started sprinting over toward the direction he last saw Hide and Touka retreating.

* * *

 **It wasn't long until I caught up with Hide and Touka. When I met up with them, it was then that I saw how bad of shape Touka was in. Not only did she have two bleeding wounds from where she had been shot, but her skin hadn't been fortunate enough to heal as fast as either Hide or mine had. Even though Hide had taken most of the heat for her, her exposed legs and parts around her face had been burnt severally. Considering how my kagune illuminated the area with a blue light, Touka made sure to use colorful language when she told me to put it away.**

 **Despite what Hide and I thought, after Touka had called Yomo for a ride once we were miles away from the fire, it wasn't long until that same black car came to pick us up on the outskirts of the city.**

* * *

" _-Panic ensued Tokyo's citizens as of last night upon seeing smoke rise from the heavily-wooded areas alongside the Shuto Expressway. Officials say after a car drove off the rail, it had collided with a tree; reports still haven't been made public on what exactly caused the forest fire, but CCG has identified a single body found inside the car. The individual was a police officer, and due to respect of their family, we'll refrain from sharing their name."_ After having made sure Kaneki and Hide had a room to spend the night in, Touka sat awake at her desk with her headphones on as she listened to the news.

Rather than watching it, she instead used the droning voice of the news caster as a distraction from the pain of having to dress her own wounds. "-Hah… Fuck…" She muttered as she used a pair of tweezers to pull the last of the tiny metal shots from her leg. A breath of relief mixed in with immense pain escaped her lips as she threw the pair of tweezers across the room in frustration. Biting the collar of her shirt, she dossed her arm and leg in alcohol; stifling in her urge to scream as felt the overbearing stinging sensation. Dropping the near empty bottle to the floor, she wiped her forehead with the roll of bandages before clumsily beginning to wrap her burns and wounds. Cutting the last of her bandages, all sound from her headphones ceased as she closed the blades together. Looking down, her eyes fell upon a cut wire hanging down from the audio-jack of her laptop. "... Dammit."

* * *

"-Um~ new guy…"

"Yes?" Curious to what the small old man had wanted, Kaneki approached him with a smile on his face. Looking down, he watched as the old man's wrinkled fingers trembled as he brought the brim of the cup to his bearded lips.

"This a little different than my normal preference…" The old man stated through sips as he continued to drink from the cup. "I prefer a deeper roasted blend than this…"

"Ah… I'm sorry! I'll get you a new cup right away." Kaneki said apologetically. Despite him having a rather rough night, he and Hide agreed to not let that get in the way of their work.

However, the man shook his head as he pulled the cup away from his lips. "Nah… It's fine, I'm just mentioning it for next time…"

"I understand, thank you for your patience." Smiling, Kaneki gave the elderly man a respectful bow before turning around to head toward the back of the kitchen area. Rustling his hands through the various of containers inside the cabinets, Kaneki scanned his eyes over each label. "Huh…? What kind of can was the deeply roasted beans in…?"

"Yo." Startled, Kaneki nearly fell back as he turned around to face Hide.

"Hide…!" Kaneki muttered as he tried to calm his down. "Don't… Don't do that!"

"I take it you're still a bit shaken up from last night?" Hide questioned as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

Kaneki simply gave him an annoyed look before letting out a deep exhale. "Aren't you?" Kaneki asked in turn as he took note of the casual smirk on Hide's lips. "We almost got killed because of Touka…!"

"True, but we didn't die." Hide said in response. "Sure she ignored the original plan of ' _Hey, let's just question that guy'_ and instead took the ' _Hey, let's kill that guy_ ' route." Hide said. "However… She got pretty messed up after that so uh… I don't know, maybe that'll teach her something."

Kaneki merely blinked. "Do you really think so?"

"Probably not." Hide admitted with another chuckle. Usually, Kaneki would have given Hide the courtesy of giving a half-hearted chuckle with him, even if meant faking a laugh, so when Hide noticed Kaneki instead looking down at the floor with a sulking expression, Hide's chuckle came to an abrupt stop. "... I know last night wasn't exactly the time of either of our lives but… Is there something bothering you?"

Comforted by Hide's concern, Kaneki looked up from the floor to meet his childhood best friend's eyes. Immediately, Hide's eyes widened as soon as he caught the first glance of tears welling up in Kaneki's eyes. "Hide… We… We killed someone…"

"Officer Tomino…" Hide said with a sigh as he instantly recalled the grizzled man's name. Although he, just like Kaneki, barely knew them from yesterday night, Hide couldn't say that he thrilled upon seeing the officer's life ending at the hands of Touka. Hide let out a small sigh under his breath, as too put on a calm appearance for his best friend. "Kaneki… That wasn't your fault." Rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand, Kaneki gave a weak nod as he let out a breath that sounded near to that of a whimper. Although Hide had always preferred to keep the appearance of a guy who's relaxed and chill, the instant compellment to bring his best friend in for a warm embrace did not slip his mind.

Wrapped in Hide's arms, Kaneki eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment. In the comfort of his friend's arms, Kaneki could feel his repressed sadness flowing out from him in the form of warm tears. Burying his face into Hide's shoulder, Kaneki begun to quietly sob with thoughts racing through his head. Thoughts of when he was attacked by Rize, hurtful thoughts of Tooru's betrayal, guilty thoughts of agreeing to go with Touka in the first place. After about five minutes, Hide and Kaneki broke away from their hug before both giving an awkward laugh toward each other. "Thank you Hide…"

"Sure, anytime." Hide said with a nod. "Hey uh… How about you take a break real quick while I go looking for those… Uh, what kind of beans were you looking for again?"

"Deeply r-roasted beans." Kaneki replied back as his voice cracked.

"Alright, deeply roasted beans…" Hide muttered to himself before giving Kaneki a pat on the back. "Okay, I'll go get you a container of those while you relax, got it?" Although he wanted to politely decline Hide's offer, Kaneki so gave in to the thought of having a moment to collect his thoughts. After all, a waiter with tear-streaked cheeks wouldn't have reflected well about the establishment. Giving Kaneki a two fingered salute, Hide made his ways upstairs toward the storage room.

* * *

Upon entering the room, Hide was met with the sight of Touka leaning on a table awkwardly inside the room of supplies. Giving Hide a distant stare, Touka grimaced slightly as she sighed. "... What is it?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to come upstairs to fetch my main man Kaneki some uh… Deeply roasted beans… Yeah those." Hide said as he had to take a moment to remember what Kaneki had asked for.

Half expecting to be yelled at due to the glare Touka had given him, Hide was surprised to see that she instead turned around to face a shelf containing various tin cans of coffee beans. "... Here, use this one with the blue label…" She said as she reached her hand out to pull down the tin can. In an instant, Hide quickly ran over to her the moment her eyes grew wide in pain. Clutching her shoulder with her good hand, Touka gritted her teeth as she muffled a would-be wail of pain.

Kneeling down, Hide caught the tin container of roasted beans merely inches before it would have landed on the floor. "Jeez, you should have just- shit…!" Rolling the can away on the floor, Hide reached out and held Touka's shoulders as she fell to the floor with a hard thud. "God damn… Touka-"

" _Get the hell away from me!_ " She growled through the searing pain as beads of sweat begun to form on her face. Taking a step back, Hide remained silent as he watched Touka's body heaving. Taking a peek through her bangs, Touka did her best to hide the tears in her eyes as she let out a muffled whimper. "Leave me alone…"

Had he been Kaneki, Hide would have agreed to the girl's wishes and stand there awkwardly. However, unfortunately for Touka, he wasn't Kaneki. Letting out a small chuckle, Hide knelt down beside Touka with a warm smile on his face. "Easy there champ, no need to be so angsty." Hide said, which earned him a growl from Touka.

"I thought I said to-"

"You can't even stand up right, let alone get up from the ground." Hide retorted. "What, you didn't think I was going to see your arms and legs trembling?" Hide pointed out, to which as soon as he did, Touka immediately ceased her attempts in bolting away from the room. "Here, let me just give you a bit of assistance before-"

"I don't need your _fucking_ help, Hide…" Touka spat back as she tried raising her good arm to shove Hide back, only to lose her balance and toppled over to her side. Although she felt a surge of pain course through her body, Touka's eyes were too focused on the look that Hide gave her: he was giving her a look of pity. " _Stop looking at me like that!_ " Although her words carried venom with them as she spat at Hide, the young man didn't feel the slightest amount of intimidation from Touka. However, not wanting to further upset her, Hide purposely averted his eyes upon the shelf of coffee supplies.

The two of them remained in their places, nearly frozen to their spots save for Touka silently trying to roll back up. After what seemed like an hour, Hide broke the silence with a sigh. "I don't get it." Hide said solemnly as he continued to stare across the room. "You're familiar with me, hell, you've even began to ease off Kaneki's case recently… So just… Why do you act like that?" Hide asked before giving a passing moment for Touka to give him to reply. However, just as he predicted, her answered was in place of silence. "... I'm not sure if you've got something to prove to anyone or just to yourself, but… Just know, despite the way you act and the things you do… Kaneki and I are still your friends… Come on, let's get you to your room." Wrapping his hands around Touka's waist and back, Hide found it odd that she didn't put up any resistance against him. In fact, during the entire trip toward her room, Touka remained silent with her eyes closed.

Laying the damaged young woman on her bed, Hide stood beside her with a sadden expression across his face. "Take it easy, Touka." With that said, he patted her shoulder before closing the door behind him as he left her to herself. Standing outside in the hallway with a calm expression, Yoshimura stared at Hide with a patient and equally sadden frown on his face. "Oh hey, boss… Heh…" Hide greeted with his attempt at a laugh. Despite his best efforts to lighten up the mood, neither men's expressions changed as they faced each other. "... I understand that Touka brought this on herself after killing one of the investigators, but... I think we should get something ready to treat her wounds…"

"No." Surprised at the older man's reply, Hide tilted his head in confusion as he squinted his eyes.

"... What?"

"I said no." Yoshimura restated with the same firm tone he used previously.

Despite being confronted with his manager, Hide felt the need to object regardlessly. "What are you talking about… Did you see how messed up she is?"

"I'm saying that she got involved with the Doves… So she's prepared to carry all the responsibility by herself." Yoshimura said solemnly. "Whether she lives or dies shouldn't be anyone else's concern. After all, she was lucky enough that you and Kaneki had intervened when you did."

Now looking down at the floor in disbelief, Hide shook his head. "No way… Anteiku exists in order to help others, does it not?"

"... So then…" Yoshimura spoke up as he looked up from the floor, "Do you think only the ghouls from Anteiku can oppose the tens of thousands police investigators all alone?"

Opening his mouth out of reflex to object, Hide instead found at a lack of words as he stood there silently. Placing his hand on Hide's shoulder, Yoshimura gave the younger man a stern yet gentle look before beginning to walk back down the hall. "... Boss…" Hide's spoken words caused Yoshimura to stand in place, with a small gesture to allow Hide to continue to explain his case with a firm nod. "You've seen a lot of different things, and I think you're already experienced as you are decisive about it… But as for me… I honestly don't know if I'm prepared to face the investigators in an actual fight, and I still don't really understand anything about the rules of the ghouls' world… However, that's why I'm going to see everything with my own eyes, right by the side of my friends; then I'll decide what to do!" Having lost himself in a moment of passion, Hide took a moment to realize how far he was leaning out toward the manager. Composing himself, Hide fixed his collar before clearing his throat. "Now uh… If you excuse me, I've gotta go get Kaneki some deeply roasted beans for coffee… At least I think it's for coffee…" Hide muttered to himself as he turned to begin his walk back to the storage room.

With his back turned to the manager as he continued his way down the hall, Hide failed to see Yoshimura turning his head over to where Hide was heading. "... Okay then." Yoshimura said as he felt a small smile form across his face.

* * *

The exhaustion from last night and the early morning self-practiced surgery had taken a far greater toll that Touka had first assumed. After being laid to rest, it was mere minutes before she passed out. Later, after her door had been knocked on for the fourth time, Touka let out a tired groan as her heavy eyelids fluttered opened. "...What?" She asked aloud in a dreary voice. After seeing Kaneki and Hide both in their regular clothes, Touka let out another groan before closing her eyelids shut. "Ergh… Time…?" She grumbled; due to being too tired to ask her question in a complete sentence.

Looking down at his cellphone, Hide quickly scanned the time displayed on the screen. "It's… 10:35 PM." Hide replied back as he and Kaneki stood beside the door.

Sensing that the two weren't going to leave her alone, Touka once again forced her eyelids open to give an annoyed look at the two young men. "... What is it?"

Holding up a red bag with a white cross plasted on the side, Kaneki did his best to smile as he brought the first aid kit into Touka's view. "We're here to help treat your…"

"I don't need it." She interrupted with a flat tone.

Despite being intimidated, Kaneki still took a step forward with the kit still in hand "But… You're bleeding…" He murmured as he pointed a finger at the smears of blood that had seeped through her covers.

Looking down to her blood-stained covers, Touka grimaced slightly before looking away from Kaneki. "... It's none of your business, okay…?"

Hide took a step forward with his hands resting behind his hoodie and shrugged off what Touka had said. "Well I mean, when you're bleeding everywhere, I'm pretty sure someone's gonna say something about it eventually so… Yeah, it sort of is our business if you're going to put it that way."

Touka rolled her eyes before let out a small chuckle escape her lips. "You know… For a couple of mere humans, all your darting around and being self-righteous is pretty damn irritating…"

Shock found its way to both faces of the young men. However, it was Kaneki who found it necessary to defend himself and Hide. "... We're partially ghouls too, you know…"

Touka let out another rhetorical laugh as she shook her head. "... You're just two remnants of humans that were born into some ungodly abominations." Touka muttered as she glared directly into Kaneki's widen eyes. "You were created from the death of ghouls, and yet here you two are… Pretending to be an ally… What if I said this, Kaneki… What if I said " _ **Go kill those fucking Doves in my place, okay?**_ ", I mean I've seen the way you carried yourself… You have my father's kakuja, or at least, something like the one he had… So, you might be able to, right? Seems like you did to Nishiki before… Can you do it?" Taking the moment to allow Kaneki to reply back with an answer, Touka gritted her teeth as she sat up in bed. "... You can't, can you?... There's no way a coward like you could have the courage or preparedness to that." She stated, but without a trace of anger on her face. "I can't depend on the manager or Yomo or anyone else either… I already understand all of that. In fact… It'd be better for a murderer like me to die." Upon hearing Touka describing herself as a murderer, Kaneki turned around to exchanged shocked expressions with Hide before turning back to focus on Touka, who wasn't even looking at Kaneki at that point. "I know there are good people among the humans… But, ghouls like Ryouko and Hinami are killed arbitrarily without being able to help themselves… Without even knowing anything and without even seeing anything."

"... You understand then… You said yourself, you know you're wrong…" Hide spoke as he made his way beside Kaneki with a stern look in his eyes. "Even though you know you're wrong, you still fight… Besides, you have no right to call Kaneki a coward after what happened the other night." Although she had no problem speaking her mind, Touka had found it significantly easier to glare in Kaneki's eyes rather than even attempting to make eye contact with Hide. Rather, Touka stared silently into the corner of the room as her expression remained blank.

"... Touka, I don't think you're right either." Kaneki spoke up as he cletched his fists that hung idly by his sides. "I could have killed them… It wouldn't have been hard for me to end their lives…"

"Kaneki…?" Hide questioned as he gave his best friend a quizzical glance. However, any unwelcomed thoughts pertaining to his friend having homicidal thoughts were eased upon seeing the reassuring smile on Kaneki's face.

"However… While I don't think that the existence of the investigators is a bad thing, I understand where your hate for the stems from… Like I said, I don't think you're right, but… But that day when Ms. Fueguchi and Hinami's life almost came to end, I did have a strong thought: Whether it's a person's death or a ghoul's, if that person is someone I could have saved, then I couldn't stand it… If… If you died, Touka, Hide and I would be… Sad."

Stunned at first, Touka's eyes widened upon hearing what Kaneki had said. Scanning across the room, the look that Hide gave her told her that he too felt the same way Kaneki did. "Ah… Is that so?!..."

"Touka, Hide and I want you to teach us more on how we could use our kagunes." Looking down at the palm of his hand, the same palm that helped ignite the forest fire, Kaneki let out a small sigh as he closed his hand. "I won't kill the investigators… But, I don't want to be unable to do anything."

Glancing over to Kaneki, then at Hide, Touka could feel an amused smile spread across her lips as she let out a small laugh. "Hmph… Well, whatever it is you have planned, I can't really teach for shit with these gunshot wounds, and gluesticks and office tape can only hold on for so long…" Looking over to Kaneki, she ushered him and Hide over to her bedside with a smirk on her face. "Alright boys, patch me up!" Touka ordered lightly as she rolled up sleeve in preparation. "Don't get mad at me if I punch either of you during this; it's a reflex, not a deliberate action… Unless I feel like hitting you, then that's all on me."

* * *

 _ **For those who are wondering, the reason why I've increased the presence of CCG significantly is to balance out the fact of the Qunix being there as well Kaneki's improved kagune. One thing that I never understood in the manga or anime is the lack of aerial support.**_


	10. Circulations and Epiphanies

**Golly-gee, this chapter took a while to come out, didn't it? Having been dealing with writer's block, aka: an excuse not to write, I found it hard to envision how I wanted this chapter to go. Without giving too much away, I want to let you know that this perhaps the longest chapter so far. I know I keep doing this every chapter, but I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate you reading this, and that it genuinely does mean a lot to me.**

 **Like always, if you have a suggestion or whatever, please feel free to PM me or leave a review about the story saying what you did or didn't like about it. Thank you, and please enjoy!**

* * *

Sitting down outside the entrance to Anteiku early in the morning, Kaneki let out a sigh out of annoyance. "She's late…" He muttered bitterly. If it wasn't bad enough that it was cold outside, after forty minutes of waiting and counting, Kaneki couldn't help but feel frustrated. "Doesn't it seem like we always end up waiting for her?"

Hide, on the other hand, had found the downtime appropriate for him to browse on his phone. Sitting beside Kaneki, Hide turned his head over his shoulder to face his best friend with shrug. "You aren't used to it be now?" Before Kaneki could retort, both young men paused and looked over to where the sound of footsteps were coming from. "Oh hey, you should up."

"Yo." Touka greeted with a nonchalant tone in her voice.

"Hi… You're late…" Both Touka and Hide gave Kaneki an expressionless glance before quickly looking back to face each other; thus, leaving Kaneki feeling left out. "Oh, whatever…"

Standing in front of the door, Touka placed her hand over the knob before trying to turn it, only to discover the door was still locked. Sighing, Touka shoved her hand into her coat pocket before fishing out a set of keys. "I really oughta get you two some keys made when we have the time…" She muttered under her breath as she inserted the key into the lock. With a satisfying click, she smiled softly before pulling the door open slowly. "Okay, come with me, but... Try to be quiet, got it?"

"Aye aye, Captain." Hide said as he pulled his hand up to mimick a salute. Letting Hide go first, Touka let out a yawn before shoving Kaneki slightly away from the door.

"Hey, since I'm taking the time out of my life to help you… You should totally go make me a cup of coffee." Already knowing there was no point in arguing, Kaneki took a in a deep breath before heading inside toward the kitchen.

Following behind Touka, Hide traversed through the dining area over to where a door stood beside the staircase that led upstairs. Letting his wondering eyes observe his surroundings, Hide couldn't help but notice that despite the fact that Anteiku was closed, the lights upstairs were still on. "Hey uh, should the lights be on?"

Looking over her shoulder, Touka nodded with a somber look in her eyes. "Hinami gets scared if it's dark…"

Letting down his usual smile, Hide's face rested as he look up again toward the stairs. "That's right… Ryouko and Hinami are still staying here, huh?... Makes you wonder with what's been going on, if they've gotten time to reflect back on some stuff, huh?"

Touka let out a sorrowful chuckle as she shook her head. "Yeah… I've been meaning to tell you…" Turning away from the door so she could face Hide, Touka felt her eyes drift away from the young man's chocolate-colored eyes before quickly shifting them back to make eye contact once more. "Erm… Since shit's been going down, I think that… Nevermind, let's just get down to business."

Opening the door, she allowed Hide to slide beside her into the narrow hallway on the other side. Before entering into the hallway herself, she quickly paced herself over to the kitchen to see Kaneki standing beside the counter with a cup of coffee. "There wasn't like one of those to-go cups anywhere?" Touka sighed as she picked up the cup before taking a sip. "Not great, but it'll do… Come on nerd, let's get to it." With an annoyed look on his face, Kaneki followed behind Touka over to where the narrow hallway was. Standing beside a black hatch on the floor, Hide made room for Touka to pull up on the handle. "Down here."

* * *

 **Inside, all I could make out was a thick darkness that made it impossible for me see what awaited us below the hatch. Admittingly, it would be a lie on my part to say that the darkness inside didn't frighten me. Luckily for me though, Hide must have picked up on this; because after he and Touka had climbed their way down, he made sure the lights were on inside before ushering me to climb down. Even on the trip down, the first thing I noticed was the thick odor of metal and water, if that made sense. If I were to describe the smell, I would have to say that it smelt like water from a garden hose. With the absent smell of a sewer, I felt a bit better about climbing down to the concrete covered tunnel system below.**

* * *

"So uh… Where are we?" Hide asked, breaking the silence several times over as his voice echoed.

"An underground passage system made a while ago." Touka said informally as her eyes scanned across the large empty room they stood in. "Ghouls onced used this as a way to hide from humans… I don't want either of you two to go any farther than this hall without me or Yomo here to escort you. If either one of you go alone, you'll probably get lost and never make it out."

"Well, that's some positive thinking right there." Hide said sarcastically. "But in all seriousness, we'll keep that in mind."

"Good." Touka stated flatly before taking a sip of her coffee.

On the sidelines, Kaneki took a breath in as he prepared himself for what response he might get from the grumpy ghoul. "Hey, Touka… What're we doing here…?"

"I'm gonna teach you clowns how to use your kagunes… Or whatever the hell you have." Touka explained as she sat down with her back against a large concrete pillar. "Well… Not really teach. You'd never get it by me explaining it to you, so I'll teach you the same way I was taught… With a little variation, mind you."

"So uh… Does that mean we'll take turns sparing with you or…?"

"No Hide, I want you and Kaneki to fight each other." Any grin that Hide might have been harboring instantly vanished the moment she finished her sentence. On the other hand, Touka found herself with a smirk across her lips as she watched the two friends stare uncomfortably back and forth from each other, then back to her. "Go on; fight."

"... I can't." Kaneki stated after a moment's hesitation. Although she already had a hunch that neither best friends would turn on each other merely over an order, she was surprised that the defiance came from the quieter of the two. "I'm sorry, but no..."

"No? Hmm, I don't recall 'no' being an option here." Touka retorted. Taking one large gulp to finish off her coffee, she placed the empty cup neatly down before pulling her jacket off. "I'll say it again, fight each other; or I'll have to kill you."

"Let's just chill out before this goes down any further..." Looking away from Kaneki, Touka could feel a slight twinge as she met eyes with Hide. "I don't care if if this is _your_ idea of training, you know as well I do that I won't let you do something like that."

Reluctantly, Touka lowered her arms to her sides as she took in a quite gulp before allowing herself to exhale slowly. Both Hide and Kaneki found themselves caught off guard as Touka let out a small throaty laugh. "... Whatever," lowering her head down, her bangs hid her eyes as she stared blankly at the ground, "If you'll fight for each other, then I guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way…" Quickly looking up, she bore a fighting stance as her head quickly snapped up to glare coldly at Kaneki. "You might die, so brace yourself."

Ignoring Hide, Touka launched herself toward Kaneki with incredible speed. So fast, that it was only after she delivered a knee into Kaneki's chest did he have time to process the attack. Dropping to the ground on his knee, Kaneki felt his heart drop as he watched Touka rear her leg back up to launch another kick. However, before this could happen, Hide kicked her supporting leg from underneath her. Having been too focused on Kaneki, Touka was forced to switch her attention toward Hide as she rolled back from the attack. Recovering from the fall, Touka once again launched herself forward, this time at Hide who had anticipated the attack. Leaping to the side, Hide countered her attack by kicking her in the ribs. "FUCK!" Touka shouted through gritted teeth as she used the momentum to roll back to her feet.

Meanwhile, Kaneki sat with his hand against his chest as he watched the two continue to fight. On one hand, he very much wanted to assist his best friend, but on the other hand, Kaneki felt as though he might make things worse. "Uh… I think that-"

"Not quite feeling a sense of danger yet?!" Touka screamed over Kaneki's weak attempt in stopping the fight. "You will be." Running quickly toward Hide, Touka rolled past him as he attempted to counter her advanced once more. Once she was behind him, she wrapped her fingers around the back of his head before slamming him face first into a nearby column. Letting out a loud grunt, Hide held his broken nose as blood began to flow down his fingers. "Relax, it'll be healed by tomorrow… But this won't heal so fast." Blinded by his broken nose, Hide failed to notice the large winged shaped kagune forming from behind Touka's shoulder. "You might die from this; and if you do, you do."

Almost petrified, Kaneki's eyes begun to well up in horror as he watched Touka's kagune looming over his best friend. "You… You really don't care if he dies?!"

"I'll make sure he's disposed of." She stated flatly as she kicked Hide down to the ground. "That is, unless you-" Before she could finish her sentence, Touka only had enough time to glance over from the corner of her eye the bright red blur launching itself toward her. Without a second thought, Kaneki screamed as his armored fist met contact with the side of Touka's cheek. She let out a wail of agony as her body slammed against the side of a wall located ten yards away from where Hide laid. Looking up, she watch as Kaneki's armored form lit the hallway with an eerie red light as he approached her. Attempting to speak, she recoil in pain as her jaw made an audible crack. Realizing that talking wasn't an option, Touka raised her hands up and began to frantically wave Kaneki away as he came to stop mere yards away from her. Being so close to his kagune's red form, Touka couldn't help but compare the heat emitting from Kaneki to that of an open oven. Thankfully, she felt the heat fade away quickly as Kaneki's kagune returned to it's default cyan glow before fading away entirely.

* * *

 **Admittingly, I didn't mean to hit Touka hard enough to dislocate her jaw; so it was only right for me to help her relocate it. After she cursed me out for about ten minutes, she calmed herself down enough to help me guide Hide up the ladder well and upstairs so we could bandage his nose. Once upstairs, she explained to Hide that although the shape of his kagune was different from Rize's, he did have the same sturdy and fast healing attribute that Rize once had; though, I'm not sure if such an ability served her any good on her final night. Touka even used ghoul type terminology and told Hide that he had a Rinkaku type kagune, and if he were to train properly, he would be able to be extremely offensive and defensive in combat. While Hide wasn't quite proficient enough to pull out his kagune at will, I on the other hand probably had more experience than Hide when it came to using a kagune. Though I felt as though I would be able to activate my kagune on will, I was self aware of the fact that I did hesitate to use mine until the last minute. When I asked Touka about my kagune, she was very hesitant to explain, and rightfully so. Rather than going into detail, she simply told me that while I wasn't all that strong alone, it was my kagune that overcompensated for that.**

* * *

"I'll probably teach you two some close combat for the times you can't pull out your kagune… Besides that, Kaneki, you'll need to bulk up."

Caught off guard by Touka's sudden direction of subject, Kaneki felt a small gasp escape his lips as he felt her cold fingers brush against his thin tummy as she pull his shirt up to expose his skinny figure. "What?! Are you gonna fight looking like this?! Put some muscle on, dammit!"

"Ugh… Fine, I'll do like, ten push ups every other day…" Kaneki muttered. While Hide covered his bandaged nose with his hands, he quickly snickered as he saw the look of disbelief spread across Touka's face.

Suddenly, the three of them look away from each other and toward the front entrance of the cafe as the bell rang with the open door. "You better." Standing inside the cafe was a tall slender man dressed in a black checkered jacket and beanie; his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

"Hey, Uta." Touka greeted casually as she let go of Kaneki's shirt.

Hide did a half hearted wave at the man. "Hey how's it going man? What's up?"

Lowering his sunglasses, he looked over to where Kaneki stood staring at him bewilderedly. "I take it you're the other one that I made the mask for." Uta said flatly before turning his attention back to Hide. "Speaking of which, I've finished the masks you've requested, and I wanted to deliver them right away… I was just going to drop it off, but since you're here, I'd like to see how they look on you two."

* * *

Standing beside each other, Hide and Kaneki silently stared themselves through their reflection in the bathroom mirror. Behind them, Touka and Uta stood observing the two, as if though they were critics in an art show. "For Hide's mask, I figured the eyepatch style was fitting in a way…"

"Why? I never seen him wear one." Touka asked bluntly as she peeked over Hide's shoulder to stare at the eyepatch. "I mean, I like how you did the zipper on the mouth; easy access to feed, right?"

"Preciously, and for Kaneki's mask… Well, to be frank, this is the first time I'm looking at him, but I think the clown mask does wonders to hide what God couldn't fix."

Fitting, yet very practical… Genius." Touka said with a nod as she traced her index finger

around the 'X' and heart shaped eyes of the clown mask. "What do you think boys? Got anything you want to tell the nice man?"

"Yes, as an artist, I find criticism to be a vital piece for future crafts." Uta added on as he and Touka leaned in closer with their ears stuck out to the two young men.

Gulping down, Kaneki let out a visible sigh as let out a long exhale. "Well… I think…"

"Why did you make mine out of a BDSM mask?" Hide quickly asked as his fingers traced down his covered neck to find the zipper running down his throat. After unzipping it, he quickly gasped for air as he could feel his blood circulating back to his throat. "I mean, what the heckers? Why did you even give me an eyepatch? Am I going to plunder some treasure from some Spaniards or something?! This literally makes me unable to the see the left side of my face…" He muttered as he unbuckled the black leather eyepatch from his face. "What the… Why did you lace the eyepatch to the mask…?" Hide asked with frustration as he unhooked the lace beside his nose that held the eyepatch to the facial part of the mask. "And another thing... What were you thinking with the mouth?! Do you know how hard it is to breathe?!"

"First off, what the hell Hide?! You should be grateful!" Touka shouted in a scolding tone as she quickly raised her hands to put the eyepatch back on Hide's left eye. "Secondly, the reason why you have an eyepatch on is because when you pull out your kagune, only one of your eyes turns red; and we can't have others knowing that you're not a ghoul, now can't we?" After swatting his hands away, she finished buckling the eyepatch back on. Touka quickly ran one hand past Hide's shoulder in order to zip back the neck portion of his mask. "Thirdly, I think that's word? Anyway, thirdly, the zippers are supposed to keep the masks from falling off, and lastly, it does the job doesn't? Stop complaining already!"

After having watched Touka put back together Hide's mask, Kaneki felt even more hesitant to critique his own mask. "Uh… Mine's okay."

* * *

 **For the following week, compared to how hectic the past couples weeks had been, things were relatively normal. Every morning, Hide and I would meet Touka at Anteiku and train underneath her supervisor before it was time to open up. Even after the doors closed for the day, she would instruct us from the basics of fighting to learning how to control our kagunes. Everything seemed to be fine up until the night she told us to meet her at the mall the next day.**

* * *

"Twenty minutes… We've been waiting for over twenty minutes." Kaneki muttered as he leaned against the brick wall outside the mall's front entrance.

Once again using the passing time to browse online with his phone, Hide glanced over his screen to meet eyes with Kaneki before shrugging. "Hey, it could be worse."

"Yo." As if on cue, both young men looked over their shoulder to see Touka standing beside them with a sweater and scarf.

"Well, you're early today." Hide commented, but took a moment to pause as his looked down Touka's arm to see that she was carrying several shopping bags. "Oh? What's that?"

Bringing her arms up to display her shopping bags, she twirled the bags around with the same monotone expression on her face. "Our… Clothes." Touka announced in a bored tone before tossing the bags at the two young men. "Change into those. I borrowed 'em, so don't get 'em dirty."

Entering the men's' bathroom, Hide and Kaneki took a stall each before unbagging their chosen outfits. Each being given a white collared shirt and red tie, Hide and Kaneki left their respective stalls to look at each other's outfits. "Dude, these are school uniforms…" Hide muttered as he noticed Kaneki wearing the same light-blue blazer and matching plaid slacks. "... Man, this is lame; we look like cosplayers in these."

"I wonder what these are for anyway…?" Kaneki added as he and Hide left the bathroom.

However, despite what they might have felt, neither of their feelings of embarrassment could have matched what Touka felt as she turned around the corner and out from the women's bathroom. "It'll be beyond embarrassing if somebody I know sees me like this…" Touka muttered to herself as she made her way toward Hide and Kaneki. "Hey," she greeted the two as she rested her hands on her hips. Though she wore the same kind of blazer, shirt, and tie, the most noticeable thing different about Touka was not only that wore a pair of glasses, but her hair was tied up in small pigtails. After a moment of silence passed, Touka coughed quietly into her hand. "It's uh… Just, stay still." Without so much as waiting for a response, Touka ran her fingers roughly through Kaneki's hair up to the point where it became messy enough to her liking. Switching focus to Hide, she quickly unbuttoned his blazer before unbuttoning the top button from his collared shirt. Hide felt a shudder down his back as he watched Touka spit into both of her palms before reaching to slick back Hide's hair.

* * *

What once seemed to be a simple day at the mall, Hide and Kaneki found themselves trailing behind Touka as they walked through the city. Finally wanting an explanation, Kaneki quickened his pace so that he was beside Touka. "Mind explaining what we're doing…?" He asked with a bit of frustration. "Wearing a uniform, messing up my hair… What's this all about?" Rather having to answer Kaneki, Touka instead remained silent until they approached a large skyscraper. "Uh… Is that…?"

"CCG," Touka finally answered as she pointed over to the large sign beside them, "Commission of Counter Ghoul's branch office, to be exact."

Piecing together what he hoped wasn't the plan, Hide quickly made his way to the other side of Touka as he stared at her with disbelief. "Wait… You're not thinking about actually-"

"Not " _me_ ", but " _we_ "." Touka said interrupting.

"Are you serious!?" Hide said aloud as he shook his head profusely. "We can't just go whipping our dicks out in enemy territory!"

"That's fucking gross!" Touka retorted as she grabbed Hide's tie before dragging him over to where a post board stood beside the walkway. "Look at this," Touka ordered as she pointed her finger at the several wanted posters spread across the large board.

"Wanted posters…" Kaneki muttered as he approached from behind Hide to get a better look at the board. "Wow, this Rize Tsukiyama guy has a 20 million yen reward… I could use that kind of money…"

"What? No, nevermind that asshole, look!" Touka said scoldingly before pointing her finger on a particular poster of interest. The poster called out for any sort of eyewitness info about a woman with long hair and a long clover-patterned dress; on the same page, the wanted poster also inquired for information on the woman's daughter, claiming that they're highly dangerous ghouls. "They still have their sights on Hinami and Ryouko…"

"So the Doves take tips from the public…" Hide commented as he rub the bottom of his chin,"Makes sense… But even so, that doesn't explain why you brought us here."

Pushing the rims of her glasses up along the bridge of her nose, Touka took a moment to compose herself before facing Hide. "We're Shuyu High students today."

"Oh, that's why you made us wear these baby clothes…" Hide muttered as he looked back down at his outfit. "... I don't see why high school students would spend their time here, but hey, I trust that you know what you're doing."

"Just let me do the talking… Okay… Okay Hide? Like, I need a verbal response on this."

"Okay, sheesh. Kaneki and I will just look pretty and nod our heads." Hide replied back with a thumbs up.

* * *

"You're here with information?" The man behind the counter asked as he stared at Hide with his eyebrows cocked up in confusion.

"Bollocks mate, I'm not _JUST_ here with some bloody information…" Hide said as he heavily forced a british accent into each word he spoke. "Detective Sherlock James Bond at your service, mate!" Hide announced himself loudly before sticking his arm out over the counter.

The front receptionist returned the gesture with an uneasy look on his face. "... Thank you, uh… Detective Bond-"

"No please, only me blokes call me Bond; you can call me Sherlock James Bond."

"... Right. Detective Sherlock James Bond… If you can just fill this form out with your contact information…"

"Quite… Now then mate, are ya' sure that you want just mine?"

"Ye-"

"Rubbish, ya wanker! Now don't go calling the kettle black just to go take the piss there, mate! Don't ya want to know about me darling love interest, Hermione Granger? Or how about me best mate in the entire Hogwarts Kingdom, Harry Potter?!" Hide shouted in an obnoxious tone as he pointed over to his friends. While Kaneki did his best to hide the fact that he was only one british slang word away from a nervous break down, Touka remained silent as she stood with her face buried against the marble countertop.

"... No sir, your information… Actually, just leave it anonymous for God's sake." The receptionist said as he sighed in defeat.

With a shrug, Hide took the pen and paper from the man before beginning to fill it out with false information. "Cheerio then, your loss."

After nearly ripping the paper away from Hide, the receptionist quickly took the form away from Hide before opening a draw. "Somebody will be with you shortly… Please, have a seat over there." The man instructed before waiting for the trio to be out of earshot. Without hesitation, he shredded the paper before letting out a long breath. "It's too early in the week for me to deal with this shit…"

In the waiting area, Kaneki rubbed his forehead profusely as he let out a sigh. "Hide… What the hell was that?"

Sitting across from Kaneki and beside Touka, Hide let out a small shrug before smiling victoriously. "What I did? What I did… Kaneki, I out played these clowns."

"You know… Although you completely shitted on what I told you not to do… I have to hand it to you Hide, that was pretty ingenious… Fucking stupid, but ingenious nonetheless." Touka commented as she did her best to resist the urge to hit Hide.

"I don't get it…"

"With the way Hide was acting, there wasn't a chance in hell that they took his form seriously. Of course, they have to take our word regardless, but without a solid name to place on us, we're pretty much in the clear." Touka explained before turning to lean in toward Hide's ear. "But if you pull that Sherlock bullshit again, I'm going to fuckin' wreck you."

Suddenly, the trio looked over to where the sound of high heels clicking against tile was came from. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Said a woman dressed in business attire; her short black hair bobbed up and down as she bounced cheerfully toward the three. "Well, aren't you three the cutest tipsters! It's nice to meet you!" She said in a bubbly and good-natured tune. Taking a seat beside Kaneki, she took out a notepad from her belt and prepared herself to take down notes. "So, what do you three cuties have for us today?"

"Well," Touka quickly spoke as she stared at Hide, "you know that canal near Kasahara Elementary School? That's where I saw that girl in the poster with her mother… The one with long hair and a clover dress."

"Hmm…" The woman hummed as her hand quickly jotted across the notepad.

"She was kinda disheveled… Right, Kanemoto?" Touka asked as she turned to face Kaneki.

"Kasahara… Yeah, she was covered in mud and everything…" Though Kaneki was able to add on to Touka's ruse, he couldn't help but think about the location of the school. The fact that Kasahara was on the edge of the 20th ward soon led him to conclude that Touka was trying to disrupt their investigation with false information. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel that what they were doing was still too much of a risk. However, he soon chalked it up to him being paranoid.

"Did you notice anything else? Anything at all." The interviewer questioned.

"No, not really." Touka replied back with.

No longer wanting to be quiet, Hide raised his arm up as an indication he had a question. "So ghouls are way stronger than humans, right?"

"That's right sweetie." The woman said with a nod.

"Okay, so do the investigators fight them with like guns, or helicopters…"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to disclose that kind of information." The woman said apologetically. However, she soon caused Kaneki to jump back in his seat as soon as she clamp her hands together. "BUT! Don't worry! The main office recently sent some highly trained investigators here! And one of them is tall and rather handsome!" She explained as her cheeks begun to turn red upon thinking of Amon. "They're the ones who are after those two ghouls in fact! I'm sure they'll find those two ghouls on the run!"

"I see. That's good hear… But…" Hide's pleasant smile faded a bit into a slight frown as he continued to speak, "... It must be heartbreaking… Knowing that they'll have to kill such a young girl and her mother."

"Not at all. Ghouls aren't human, silly!" She assured with a smile. "They're a threat to us. They deserve to be exterminated." Without breaking her smile and cheerful tone, the woman seemed unfazed while explaining her opinion to Hide.

"I… I guess you're right."

* * *

 **That lady had told us a lot, but even so, as we were leaving the branch office, I couldn't help but think if it was even worth the risk going there. "Ghouls deserve to be exterminated." I wonder if it was just the CCG that thought that, or if even ghouls thought that too…**

* * *

On their way out, Touka had kept her eyes glued to the tiled floor as she led Hide and Kaneki out of the office. They were on the first floor when Touka felt herself colliding against the side of a man's shoulder. Caught off balance, Touka fell to the floor with a thud as she landed on her arm. "I'm sorry young lady… Are you alright?"

"I'm fine… I-I'm-" Looking up at the man she bumped into, fear instantly overwhelmed Touka as she was met with the same old man from the night she tried eliminating Amon. "I'm sorry…" She quickly muttered as she got up to feet and sprinted out the door. Confused, Mado watched as Hide and Kaneki quickly followed suite of Touka as she tried fleeing. Looking nearby, he motioned over the woman who had interviewed them with his hand. "Miss… Who was that?"

"Oh, they're high school students with some information about your case." She replied back with a smile as she continued on her way back to her office.

"Hmm…"

"Touka, that's-"

"Not now… And don't say my name here…" Touka said in a hushed tone to Kaneki as they quickened their pace to the entrance.

"You three!" Mado shouted as he called from behind the trio. Nearly twitching, Kaneki gulped down his fear as he did his best to remain calm. "Your information about the mother and daughter… I'm Mado, and I'm in charge of that case." After introducing himself to three, he closed the distance between him and Touka. "Would you mind telling me a little more about what you saw… Inside?"

"Excuse us…?" Hide questioned as he was the first of the three to turn around to face Mado.

"Let's talk privately inside." Mado suggested with a grin across his face. "Don't worry, I won't take up too much of your time. _Please_."

Quickly trying to intervene before Hide could get himself into trouble, Touka immediately turned around beside Hide to face Mado with a flustered look. "I-I'm sorry, this took longer than we expected and we have pla-"

"-Five minutes." Mado interrupted as he raised his hand up. "Five minutes is all I'm asking."

"I understand but…"

"Sure, why not." Both Kaneki and Touka felt a wave of panic wash over them as Hide took a step forward to volunteer himself. Looking over his shoulder, he gave a reassuring smile to his friends before looking forward back to Mado. "Hey, if it'll help the city, it's the least I can do."

Mado smirk widened as he grabbed the side of Hide's blazer. "Thank you for your patience… Now come on, this won't take long!" Almost dragging Hide behind him, Mado led Hide toward a metallic gate that looked like the ones used by airport security. Although Kaneki had no idea what the machine was, the look on Touka's face told him that it wasn't good news.

Closing her eyes, Touka braced herself for what was to come as Hide passed through the gate. However, after a moment, she peaked opened eye to see a look of surprise while Mado's grin vanished as Hide stood patiently beside the older man. "You know, for a security measure detector, that was probably the worst piece of crap I've ever seen." Hide said bluntly toward Mado. "I mean like, I still had my wallet and keys in my pocket…"

"Excuse me!" Touka shouted out from behind the gate. "We have to go to cram for school, so we really need to go…! We'll be back, I promise! Sherlock Bond, c'mon, let's go!"

"Rightio love! Sorry about this mate, perhaps another time over a nice cup of tea?" Pulling his arm away from Mado, Hide made his way through the gate and back into the company of his friends. As they left the through the sliding doors, Kaneki failed to notice the tall young man entering the door as he brushed against his broad shoulder.

* * *

Huffing, Kaneki gasped in for air as he slowed down his pace. Once they left the CCG office branch, they had sprinted away and soon found themselves gasping air in a nearby park. "W… We made it out…" Kaneki cheered through coughs as he wiped his brow. "But...Why did that guy, Mado, try to pull Hide through that gate…?"

"Because, that gate detects excessive amounts of RC cells… You know, the shit that ghouls have a lot of?" Touka replied back as she held her arm out on a fence to support her while she took in small breaths.

"It wasn't a metal detector…?" Hide asked aloud as she stared at Touka in shock. "Why didn't the gate go off then? Is it because I'm not a ghoul?"

"Maybe it's because you have some human left in you… I wonder if I would have had such luck if it were me going through that gate…"

"Who cares?" Touka said with an annoyed look as she turned away from the two young men. "We got out, that's what matters."

"... Yeah… We did, huh?" Kaneki said as his lips curled up slightly to form a relieved smile.

* * *

"Is everything alright? What are you doing down here?"

"Amon." Mado addressed the young man as he turned around to face him. "Well… Three students came in with some information. Something wasn't right about them, so I had one of the boys who was acting clueless go through the gate… But it seems I was wrong… I must be losing my touch." Mado mused with a small chuckle.

"I'll take a look at their statement later…"

"Thank you."

"Not a problem…. By the way, Kusaba and Yasutomo's memorial service is going to be held in the auditorium."

"I heard…" Mado replied back in an ominous voice. "I won't be attending. I'd rather spend that time working. Wouldn't you?"

"Uh… Yes…" Amon said quietly as he looked away from Mado.

* * *

The memorial had been as good as one could be, with the circumstances being what they were. Though neither of their bodies had been located, the CCG had declared them missing in action, and though their search and rescue teams had searched through the streets of the 20th ward for a while, it soon was redeclared that they must have died. During the moment of silence, Amon couldn't help but be one of the many in the front row who felt their hearts breaking as the families of the deceased did their best to stifle their sobs. To Amon, there was no good reason for either Kusaba nor Yasutomo to be killed. To him, the world was wrong, and it was the CCG's job to correct it.

Back in his barracks, Amon threw his shirt aside on the floor tiles as soon as he stepped foot inside. Without so much as a moment's hesitation, he quickly made use of his exercise machine and begun to work on his biceps. Working out his frustration, one thought kept repeating through his mind over and over again. ' _This world is wrong.'_

* * *

 _'Two Ghoul Investigators, after having been reported missing around 10:30 PM on the night of the 10th, have been finally declared dead. Investigators Kusaba and Yasutomo had been last spotted heading through an alleyway near Bungetsu Street Highway in Tokyo's 20th Ward. As of 11:00 AM of yesterday, a memorial was held in memory of the brave men who laid their lives down for the call of duty.'_ Reading the article in the newspaper, Kaneki couldn't help but feel disheartened at the news. He knew that people died everyday, but even so, reading about it while the pictures of the deceased stared back at from the article unnerved Kaneki. If that wasn't enough for him, the knowledge that whoever managed to take down the investigators must have had some motive for doing so. Glaring over his newspaper, Kaneki watched as Touka stood beside him with the same issue of newspaper he had.

"You should be working…" Touka muttered as her newspaper krinkled underneath her fingers.

"... The men in that article… They were investigators, just like that one night… Did you…?"

"What if I did…?" Touka asked with a grim look. "I'm a murderer, and I won't stop until I kill 'em all… Everyone last one of them…" Taking a moment to compose herself for the customers, Touka took in a deep breath as she adjusted her tie. "But to answer your question, no, I didn't kill those two… I'm going to take some coffee to Ryouko and Hinami."

"Oh… Okay." Kaneki spoke quietly as he watched Touka begin to head toward the coffee pot on the counter. "Actually… About Ms. Fueguchi and Hinami… They don't seem to be feeling that well, and I don't think Hinami's been sleeping either… Mr. Yoshimura said Hinami hasn't been eating… I'm a bit worried."

Looking over her shoulder, Touka's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the nativity of Kaneki. Rolling up her copy of the newspaper, she tapped the reading material against Kaneki's vest with a frown on her face. "She's not sleeping because you lent her that long-ass Sen-whatever's book." She said matter-of-factly with each tap emphasizing her point. "There's only one way to cheer them up, and that's why we risked our lives going to the CCG."

" "Only one way"...? You mean mean getting revenge against the investigators who almost killed them…?" Kaneki asked, puzzled on how that would really bring either of them comfort.

"I don't see you coming up with anything…"

* * *

After several knocks on the door, Ryouko finally decided to get up from the bed beside her daughter to answer the door. "Oh, Touka... What do I owe the pleasure?" The woman asked through a yawn as she reached up to rub out the tiredness in her eyes.

"Hey there, Ms. Fueguchi." Touka greeted with a smile as she stood with a platter in her hand. "Sorry, were you sleeping?"

"Please, don't worry about it dear. After all, it's nearly noon; and it wouldn't be good for either of us if we slept too long." Ryouko said reassuringly. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." With the door held open for her, Touka entered the room before proceeding to place the two cups down on the coffee table beside the couch. "I heard that Hinami hasn't been eating…"

"I… I know…" Ryouko sighed before taking a seat on the couch.

"Mother…?" Lazily, Hinami poked her head behind the bedroom door before quietly entering the room. "Oh… Good afternoon Ms. Kirishima."

"Ah, just the winner I was looking for!" Touka announced happily as she picked up one of the cups of coffee from the table. "Here, got something to help you greet the day a bit easier, Hina!"

"Thank you…" Stifling in a yawn, Hinami grabbed hold of the cup as she made her way to the couch beside her mother.

"Your mother and I were actually talking about you," Touka said in a positive tone of voice. "You have to eat, because ya know, you're still growing and all that junk."

"Yeah…" Hinami said quietly before taking a sip from her cup. "I know I should, it's just… I don't know... I'll try to eat today Ms. Kirishima, I promise."

"... It's all right, you don't have to worry about anything but getting food in your tummy for now." Touka reassured as she ran her fingers through the younger ghoul's hair. "I'll take care of all the junk that's bothering you, and I'll show you two a much bigger world than this tiny room… Just hang in there for a little longer, Hina."

"... Okay… What's that?" Hinami asked as she noticed the rolled up paper that Touka held.

"Oh… It's a newspaper. The manager is subscribed to a few of them."

"Wow… So many words." Hinami said as she stared at the paper in awe.

Feeling her smile growing larger, Touka reached over and placed the rolled up newspaper on top of Hinami's lap. "Keep it. You're studying, right? It'll teach you about the human world… And it can be kinda interesting too."

Quickly placing the coffee down, Hinami felt her face light up in a flush of color as she unrolled the newspaper to be greeted with paragraph upon paragraph of words. Smiling, Ryouko placed her hand on her daughter's head and planted a kiss on her forehead before turning back to Touka. "Thank you so much Touka, I'm sure she'll have quite fun reading through the news. In fact, I'll have to ask the manager if we could start getting a copy of the daily paper."

"And I'll ask Kaneki if I come across any words I don't!" Although Hinami and Ryouko felt joyful, Touka couldn't help but feel her smile sour into a slight frown upon hearing how eager Hinami was to ask Kaneki for help rather than herself.

* * *

Out in the cold, Amon felt himself regretting not bringing a more appropriate attire to wear as he treaded through the canal behind Mado. "Anything?" Amon called over to Mado as he splashed through the running water.

"Nothing over here." Mado said with a sigh as he searched across the gravel from the small shore beside the man-made river.

"Not even a trace anybody was here…"

"There wasn't exactly paperwork behind their claims, and as expected, their tip was a false lead." Mado disclosed. "Yet this place…"

"It's possible it was just a prank. Let's go. We're only wasting time here…"

"No… You go on ahead. I have something I'd still like to check out."

* * *

Being the good daughter she strived to be, Hinami waited obediently for her mother to return with meat. As she promised, Hinami was going to try her best to eat as much as there was on her plate for dinner that night. Such a task was easier said than done though for Hinami. However, in the meantime, she laid on her tummy on the couch as she read through the articles written the newspaper. _'It was with great sorrow, during such times of tribulation, that we offer our best condolences and we pray…'_ "Condolences…?" Hinami muttered in confusion. "What does that mean…?" Turning to her trusty dictionary on the coffee table, she flipped through its many pages until she found what she was looking for. " "Condolences"... Expression of sympathy, sadness… Kinda like me." After letting out a soft breath, she turned her attention back to the newspaper and begun to read the headline of the next article. "Investigators ki-..." Investigators killed was what the article read, but unable to read the rest of the article, Hinami's eyelids shot open as Touka's previous words came to her mind. ' _I'll take care of everything.'_ "Oh no…"

"Did you lock the back door?" Touka asked as she put her arms through the sleeves of her sweater. It was night time, and after having a successful and busy day, the trio looked forward to the new horror movie adaptation of a book Kaneki loved. Hide had suggested it earlier, and although Touka originally wanted to train her two underlings, she soon gave into the idea of having a time out with her companions.

Hide smirked as he rolled his newly gifted key ring around his index finger. "Sure did."

"Cool, just don't lose those; it cost me like 115 yen just to get those made." Touka warned as she finished putting on her cozy sweater. "Hey, where's Kaneki? I don't want to miss the movie."

Zipping up his black and yellow jacket, Hide looked around the dining area with an equally puzzled look on his face. "Ya' know, I don't… Oh!" His eyes then lit up as he snapped his fingers with a sudden rush. "I think he went upstairs to help Ryouko carry up some plates."

"Could you go upstairs and help him finish then? That must have been like eight minutes ago..."

"Don't sweat it, I'll be back in jif." Turning around, Hide jogged upstairs and through the hallway. Suddenly, he felt his smile drop as he began to hear the faint sound of sobbing in the hallway. Although unnerved, Hide quickened his pace even more as he listened in for where the crying was coming from. Just as he dreaded, it came from behind the door of the room Ryouko and Hinami were taking residence in. "It's Hide, I'm coming' in." Without so much as knocking, Hide quickly pulled the door nearly off its hinges as he burst into the room. There on the ground, he felt his heart drop as he saw Ryouko sobbing uncontrollably with Kaneki beside her. "Hey, what's wrong..?"

"It's Hinami…" Kaneki replied back in quiet voice as he turned his head over his shoulder to look up at Hide through wide eyes. "She's gone…"

"What the hell… Hinami?! HINAMI!?" Nearly jumping over the grieving mother, Hide quickly made his way toward the bedroom. "Goddamnit…"

"We checked there already… Hide… She's not in any of the other rooms either…" Kaneki solemnly informed as he tried getting up, only to be immediately drawn back in Ryouko's embrace as she buried her head in his shoulders.

"I'm sorry… Hinami…!" She said through choking breaths as she hugged Kaneki tighter. "Please… Y-You have to bring her back…!"

"Damn right we will… Kaneki, come on!" Hide instructed before kneeling down beside Ryouko. "Ms. Fueguchi, you need to stay here incase Hinami comes back. Please, don't leave this building for whatever reason." Too caught up in her tears, Ryouko could only reply back with a feeble nod before letting go of Kaneki. With that said, the two young men ran through the hallway and downstairs like bats of hell; and with the look of panic on their faces, Touka felt her blood go cold. Before she could ask, she felt herself being dragged out the entrance of Anteiku. "Touka, Hinami's gone!"

"... You're kidding me, right…?" Touka whispered under her breath as she turned to exchange glances with both Hide and Kaneki. "Why… Shit, okay, okay…!" She cursed as she tried gaining her composure, only to feel herself falling back into a panicked state. "Keep your phones on; it's best if we…. Fuck, just look around for her!" Without another word, Touka dashed away into the streets; with each leap, she quickly bounced her way to the roofs to get a better vantage point as she begun her frantic search for Hinami.

"Kaneki, get a hold of the manager and follow me!" Hide ordered as he begun his sprint down the sidewalk, calling Hinami's name out with every other breath he took in.

"Oh yeah…!" Kaneki said aloud as he begun to chase after Hide with his phone in his trembling hands. "Please pick up… Hello…? Hello, Mr. Yoshimura?! H-Hinami's…"

* * *

Finding herself following a rather comfortably familiar scent, Hinami found herself near a concrete canal near what appeared to be a school of some kind. Almost lost in thought, she fantasized quickly on how it must have been like to be a student. However, her thoughts were soon interrupted as she begun to pick up the familiar scent again; growing stronger as she followed the invisible trail. "... Dad…?"

* * *

As fast as the wind and her legs could carry her, Touka leapt from rooftop to rooftop as she mindlessly headed toward the only location she could think of. "Hinami… Was it because of that newspaper…?" Touka thought aloud as she continued toward the elementary school. "Damn… Why do I always…!?" _' "I don't give a damn about them… If you wanna do it, do it alone, sister." '_ "Ayato…" Having been lost in thought, Touka nearly lost her balance as her foot nearly gave way from underneath her. Coming to a screeching halt, Touka was forced to roll over the roof tiles of an elementary school building. However, a sudden and distant familiar scent entered her nostrils. "What's that smell…?" Before she could ponder more on it, a loud and high pitched scream broke through the night sky. Alerted, she leapt off from the two story building and onto the sidewalk near a canal. "Out of all places… Why…?!" Making her way down the canal, she felt a sigh of relief escape through her lips as she found Hinami huddled up underneath the bridge of the canal. Sobbing quietly to herself, Hinami didn't looked up as Touka made her way through the water toward the small shore of washed up rocks and gravel. "Hinami… Let's go home…"

"No…" Hinami choked out quietly; something that Touka hadn't expect from the young ghoul. "No matter where I hide… I'm going to be killed anyway." Hinami explained in a low voice as she picked up her head from her arms. "It was you, right…? They probably think I did it… The people who killed my dad are coming to kill me. I don't want my mother to get hurt, so I have to keep running, and running, and running…"

"... Hina, W… What're you holding…?" Taking a step closer, Touka knelt beside Hinami to get a better look at what she was holding in her arms.

"It's dad's…" Holding the mask of her father, Hinami used the mask to comfort her as she brushed her cheek against it. Shocked, Touka quickly stood up before taking a step back at the morbid sight. "Why did this have to happen..?! Aren't ghouls allowed to live…?"

"... I went to the CCG's… To the enemy's lair…" Touka said solemnly as she kept her eyes focus on the tears trickling down the young ghoul's soft cheeks. "I talked to them directly… But… Hinami, they barely had any information on you and your mother. I told them I knew you two… But They didn't show me a photo or a sketch of you or your mother. The only people who know about you and your mother's faces… Are the four who showed up that night. Hinami…" Without hesitation, Touka fell to her knees as she wrapped her arms around the young and surprised child. "I'll protect you." Touka vowed as she pressed her face closer into Hinami's shoulder. "I won't let them kill you or your mother; I swear… That's a promise." Bringing her head up from Hinami's shoulder, Touka looked her in eyes as she felt a genuine smile find its way on her lips. "I don't know if ghouls are allowed to live, but there has to be a reason we exist."

"... Yeah…" Was all Hinami could muster out before letting her head fall in exhaustion.

Kissing Hinami on the forehead, Touka got up to her feet once more before taking out her cellphone. "Hello….?! Hide? I found her!... Near Kasahara Elementary…" Before she could end the call, Touka's caught sight of the silhouette of a man standing mere yards away with a sickening grin.

* * *

"Hey…?! Touka? Hello?!" Hide shouted into his phone's speaker, only to be met with dead silence. "I got cut off…"

"What did she say?" Beside Hide, Kaneki couldn't but feel anxious over the phone call. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know… She said she found Hinami near Kasahara Elementary."

"In any case, we should be glad she found Hinami… We can relax for now then…"

"I guess… She didn't say goodbye or anything like that though… Sorta just left me hanging."

"You know how rude she can be… Oh well; do you think we should wait for them back at Anteiku, or...?"

Before Hide could further discuss his uncertainty on the situation, the rapid sound of nearby footsteps broke both their concentration. "That river near Kasahara?!"

"That voice…!" Hide whispered in a mixture of shock and confusion. Ushering Kaneki to keep low, they made their way toward the railing beside the sidewalk they were on to peek over toward the street below them.

"I'm on my way! I'll see you there!" The man shouted below before sprinting off in the night.

"Damn, I knew something was up…!" Hide cursed quietly. "Stay still..!" Without another word, Hide grabbed Kaneki by the shoulder before spinning the confused bookworm around. With Kaneki's backpack facing him, Hide quickly dug through the cluttered books and snacks kept in the backpack. Fishing out their masks, Hide quickly pulled the backpack away before tossing it on the floor.

"Hey, what are you-"

"We'll get it later, that's not important right now..! Here, put it on!" With a clown mask

shoved into his chest, Kaneki felt his eyes widen as he looked up to see Hide quickly buckling the black leather mask to his face. "Go to Kasahara and look for that canal, I'll buy you guys some time!"

"But-"

"-You can tell me how bad this place is later, now go!" Without looking back, Hide hoped over the rail before sliding down the brick wall that led down the street Amon was running on. With his heart beating against his chest, Kaneki felt his knees lock up as he stood to there with his mouth agape.

* * *

"Hey!" A voice shouted from behind. Turning around, Amon looked over to see where the voice had from. Standing before him, Hide returned the glare that Amon gave him.

"Who are you…?" Amon asked cautiously. Gripping his suitcase handle tighter, Amon stared in disgust at the black leather mask the young man wore before him. Circling around him without breaking eye contact, Hide maneuvered slowly around Amon. Standing between the investigator and toward the path toward the elementary school, Hide stood his ground as the two continued to stare at each other. "Get out… Of my way."

"No can do…" Although Hide's voice was nowhere near as menacing as Amon's, Hide refused to budge an inch. ' _Alright, if Touka's right, if I swing hard enough, I'll probably be able to knock this guy on his ass._ ' Hide thought to himself as he eyed up Amon. ' _The dude looks jacked… But hey, he's still just a human!_ ' Running toward the unflinching tall man, Hide raised his fist in the air. Punching the man square in the chest, Hide had expected for the man to fly back from the force, or at the least, stumble back. However, with his fist still against the man's muscular chest, Hide slowly raised his eyes up toward Amon's face to be greeted with an intense glare. ' _Well, shit._ '

Wrapping his hand around Hide's throat, Amon raised the young man in the air before slamming him on the ground. "When you're an investigator, you tend to run into idiots pretending to be ghouls, like you." Amon explained in flat and rather annoyed voice as he released his hold from Hide's neck; which sent the young Qunix into a harsh coughing fit. "That mask is so improper…"

"I know… I-" Hide said chokingly before allowing himself a moment to clear his throat. "I _**KNOW**_ this mask looks weird; _don't remind me!_ " Raising his leg up, Hide attempted to kick Amon away. Although Hide managed to push Amon several feet away, Amon was able to block the kick with his suitcase. Rolling up to his feet, Hide continued to stare into the eyes of the unfazed investigator. "... Let's just get to the point, asshole." Gritting his teeth, Hide's exposed right eye begun to turn red while Amon raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"A kakugan…?!" Amon muttered quietly under his breath before gaining his threatening composure once more. "You're so inept, that I thought you were a human… But if you're a ghoul, I can't let you live." Unlatching his suitcase, Amon unveiled his weapon. Hide watched as the suitcase became a large two-handed black club. However, upon raising the quinque, the black portion of the weapon begun to glow read like Kaneki's kagune.

"Damnit…"

"You pest!" With the weapon raise over his shoulder, Amon swung the quinque sideways toward Hide. Barely having time to step back, Hide felt a stinging sensation underneath his mask as the weapon swung. As Amon spun around to recover back into his fighting stance, Hide raised his fingers up toward his where the stinging sensation was coming from. Brushing his finger against the cut across his chin and mask, Hide looked down to see blood coating his fingers.

* * *

"Good to see the two of you again so soon… Fueguchi's daughter and…" Mado trailed off as he looked up to stare at Touka. "... You… No, that's too impersonal…" Mado's eyes trailed down toward the keychain dangling from beside Touka's cell phone. There, dangling beside the screen, was a small toy rabbit. "Perhaps I should be calling you 'Rabbit'." Touka stepped in front of Hinami's trembling body as Mado begun to advanced slowly toward the two. "I couldn't figure out why the gate didn't sound for that boy… But I finally understand why you willing infiltrated enemy territory." Pointing a gloved finger at the Touka, Mado stopped in his tracks as he glared at the two ghouls. "Spreading false rumors to disrupt the investigation; it was such a pathetically crude plan, I doubted it at first… But then I thought, it's for Fueguchi's wife and daughter." Mado's eyes suddenly twitched as before shoving his index finger toward his own grinning face. "Although the CCG doesn't have either of their exact locations, even if it was just for a split second, we did get a look at their faces. If you could get rid of us, then the investigation would be greatly hindered. Hehe… There certainly would be a chance that they could live a relatively peaceful life like the ones they had before… _IT MAKES ME SICK; A MONSTER, OF ALL THINGS, WISHING FOR A PEACEFUL LIFE?!_ " Touka felt disgusted and gritted her teeth at the vile investigator. Mado leaned his head over to try and get a look at Hinami, but was soon blocked by Touka's body. "Oh yes… Did you receive my gift? I figured you'd still be missing your father… Hehe… And you fell right for it!"

In that instant, Touka felt something snap her back to her senses as Mado let out a mocking and full hearted laugh at Hinami's expense. " _YOU…!_ " Before she could begin to take the first of her steps toward him, Mado activated his quinque. With the bony appendage released, Mado swung the weapon down toward Touka. However, having learned from before not to move away from the attack, Touka leapt in the air and dove through the whip-like appendage.

"Hmmm, impressive! You're no small fry!" Mado shouted in pure adrenaline-fueled ecstasy. "If you weren't destined to die to day, I'm certain you would have become…" Raising his quinque upward, Mado screamed in joy as he swung down the weapon toward the incoming ghoul. "A _troublesome_ ghoul like the Owl was some time ago!" However, the unexpected occured when the unique was blocked by one of the cement columns holding up the bridge above. "Ooh…" The sudden turn of events even surprised Touka, and fueled her to continue sprinting toward the exposed investigator. Glad that she was prepared for the possibility of Mado showing up, she took pleasure in knowing that his weapon was no way suited for close quarters combat. However, just as she raised her arm up for the killing move, she felt her red eyes widened in horror as Mado raised his other arm up to reveal a second suitcase. Quickly abandoning her advances toward him, Touka leapt backwards as the water in front of her was splashed with each shard fired from Mado's small quinque machine gun. Letting out a scream, Hinami covered her ears in dread of the modified machine gun being fired again in such a enclosed area.

"No… Hinami…?" Looking over her shoulder, Touka witnessed what a mess Hinami was in. Laying on the floor, Hinami's cheeks were hot and soaked with tears as her eyelids were wide open. With her hands cuffed over her ears, Hinami screamed continuously as terror overtook her.

"From our last encounter, I learned that having something that shot faster than you ran would benefit me for the road ahead… Hehe, although I would have prefered having Fueguchi's wife as a weapon, this little guy here will do nicely, don't you agree?" Raise the compact gun, as if though to show it off, the magazine under the barrel of the weapon is what caught Touka's attention; like the kagunes she'd seen, it glowed with an eerie red light. "You see, quinques are made from kagunes of you ghouls!"

" _NOOOOOO!_ " Hinami screamed louder as she shut her eyes closed.

"You.." Touka whispered as she could feel her own kagune beginning to form as if though it was a separate entity that shared the same mind she had. Launching herself toward Mado like she never had done before, she let out a scream of hate as she focused on the grinning man. " _YOU BASTARD!_ "

Within a yard's reach of the Mado, Touka's one-winged kagune swung directly toward Mado. Having predicted her attack, Mado quickly stepped to side before leaving his his whip-like quinque coiled over the spot where he knew Touka would land. "You haven't learned a thing, Rabbit." Mado stated with a disappointed tone to his voice. "You are impulsive as your short-sighted, as usual… Perpetually carless… _AND THUS, YOU WILL DIE._ " With a twist of the wrist, Mado propelled the whip upwards and around Touka's figure. Feeling the bony fins of the quinque tear into her torso as it tightened around her, Touka let out a wail of agony before being slammed against a concrete column. "You will make a fine sample." Letting out another scream that almost matched the one Hinami was emitting, Touka could feel the quinque tighten even more as Mado pinned her against the colum. "Hmm… I'm still making adjustments, but her father's kagune is a thrill to use." Tightening the quinque's hold even more, Mado revealed in the agony within Touka's scream as she let out another wail. "That's it, that's it! Let me hear you scream louder! Oh, what a pleasure it was to take down that bastard, Fueguchi!... Ah, but I think we're done here… Tell me, Rabbit, which will it be: would you rather be bisected from the waist down, or having every one of your limbs shotoff…?"

" **You're dead, old man…** " Was all Touka had to say about her given options, which only further amused Mado rather than striking fear into his grizzled heart.

"Hmph… You're like a hyena; gnawing on dead flesh… You're trash, but do tell… Why does your kind try to live at the cost of committing such sins?"

"... What's wrong with… With wanting to live…?" Touka asked in tone that easily conveyed the pain she felt through her torn abdominals. "We may be different… But we're still given life… _**Given a chance**_ _…_ If we can only eat humans, then that's what we'll do… How else are we supposed to live with these bodies of ours…!? **Tell me** …!" Touka demanded as she tried to raise her head up, but immediately succumbed to her pain. "You guys think you're so much better than us… But would say the same thing if you were a ghoul…? Die… **Die, you asshole** …! _**DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!**_ _**ALL OF YOU**_ _ **STUPID**_ _ **DOVES CAN GO TO HELL!**_ " Touka screamed her mantra as loud as she could until she was forced to take in a painful breath. "You asshole… Damn it… Even ghouls... **Even I… I we could live like you guys!** "

Having listened to her speech, Mado felt nothing but disgusted by Touka's wish to live with humans. "Well, well… I can't stand listening to this anymore; I've had enough… What's this?" Looking over his shoulder, he watched from the corner of his eye as Hinami quietly approached Mado with her eyes red; although, even Touka could see the hesitation with each step Hinami took. "I don't recall giving you permission to stand up."

Without a moment's hesitation, Mado raised his other arm up as he aimed down the sights of his modified sub machine gun. " _ **FUCK, DON'T!**_ " Touka screamed, but such pleads fell on deaf ears. Eyes widened in horror, Hinami let out a scream as several crystallized projectiles shot straight through her stomach. It was now Touka's turn to scream in absolute despair as she watched Hinami fall limply to the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hide struggled to keep up with the veracious and well aimed swings Amon had continuously bombarded him with. Using a single tendril, Hide attempted to slam his kagune against Amon's chest. However, Amon was easily able to parry the attack before raising his weapon up to counter the recoiled young man. The mace swung down against the back of Hide's head, sending him tumbling viciously against the rough cement. Dazed, Hide could barely focus on the blurry silhouette of Amon through the ringing he heard in his ears. He didn't want to admit it, but Hide couldn't help but feel as though even with his kagune, he was no match for Amon. "Demons wearing masks…" Amon addressed coldly as he lowered his weapon slightly to glare down at Hide. "I've always wanted to ask your kind… Killing the innocent...Feeding as you desire… Many children have lost their parents by your hands. The sadness, the loneliness, emptiness of those left behind… Have you ever imagined what that's like…?" Throughout his speech, Hide could only make out tidbits every now and so as he struggled to focus through his doubled-vision and horrid headache. "There's a ghoul known as the Rabbit… The Rabbit killed two fellow investigators and suspected to have been responsible for two of my colleagues missing… Why were they killed…? Because they were investigators? Because they were human?... Why…?! What possible reason was there for them to be killed?" Raising his free hand to wipe away the tears beginning to well up in his eyes, Amon took a breath in as he glared intensely at Hide. "This world is wrong…! _AND IT'S YOU MONSTERS THAT ARE DISTORTING IT!_ "

After a several moments, Hide was able to compose himself enough to look up at Amon with a empathic look as he felt his head growing light. "I… I don't blame ya' for feeling like that…" Hide said solemnly as looked at the tears streaming down lightly on Amon's cheeks. "You are exactly right… Many ghouls have gone astray… This ghoul you call The Rabbit is probably one of them. I understand what you're trying to say, but… To be convinced somebody is wrong without truly knowing them… I can't imagine that being right." Shakingly, Hide struggled to keep his balance as he got up to his feet. "We have to understand each other more, all of us…"

"What… What are you saying…?" Amon asked as he stared puzzlingly at Hide. "I have no idea what you're saying…"

"... I have to let the world know… So, I guess I'll have to show you what I mean."

"Hmp… Show me? Show me what?" Without a moment's notice, a fresh wave of justice mixed in with frustration overcame Amon as he raised his quinque once more. "Why did I even bother listening to the nonsense of a ghoul?!" He shouted as he swung his mace sideways at Hide, who managed to duck underneath the attack. Noticing his opponent's attacks growing quicker, Amon immediately stepped to the side before delivering a kick in Hide's stomach. "Save it!" Amon bellowed as he sent Hide tumbling away once more. "That all you got?!"

Although he held his side, Hide bit his lip underneath the cover of his leather mask as he stood back up from the attack. "Not bad… For a _bitch_." Compared to Nishiki's kick, Hide felt as though attack wasn't even a fraction of the pain he felt then; or perhaps it was the fact that he was starting to see stars that weren't there before. With a slight twitch in his facial expression, Amon raised his weapon up high before swinging his weapon down faster. Thinking that Amon thought of the taunt as a cheap tactic, Hide tried to relax as he studied his opponent's move with each dodge. Having experience with Touka's training, Amon's strikes were seemingly becoming slower the more Hide studied the other man's movements. Leaping back from his latest attack, Hide stood with his arms raised at Amon with a mocking gleam in his eye. "C'mon,ya' little _bitch!_ You can do better than that!" Feeling something snap in him, Amon let out a battle cry as he clumsily swung down his mace with an amazing speed, nearly hitting Hide who managed to step away the last second. "Ah, the emo type, eh?" Hide mused before taking a better look at the weapon Amon held tightly in his hands. The problem that Hide had with the club was that even he knew he couldn't keep dodging it forever. Although he didn't exactly know what it was made of, the red glowing veins that pulsated around the end of the weapon told Hide that it was dangerous. That, and the fact that the club was the reason why the back of his head was matted in blood. However, if he could do something about it, Hide knew he would have a chance against Amon. "Can't believe I'm about to do this…" He knew that his kagune was his only shot in destroying the club; or the least, having a chance to disarm Amon. As three tendrils formed from behind his lower back, Hide couldn't help but think back to the fight he and Kaneki had with Nishiki. The image of Kaneki losing control of his kagune had always been frightening for him, and Hide couldn't help but feel frightened over to possibility of losing control himself like his best friend had. He really didn't want to hurt Amon more than he had to, but at least while he was fighting, Hide knew he had to do the unspeakable. Amon was then taken aback upon seeing Hide ripping of a piece of flesh from his own hand; so taken aback, that he failed to notice the tendrils behind Hide turning a violent shade of glowing red. "Nothing exactly a kitkat bar, but it works..." Hide muttered through the pain as he continued to chew on the flesh in his mouth before reluctantly swallowing it. "In all seriousness though… I'm not gonna lose sight of who I am, or what I'm fighting for…!" Letting out a war cry of his own, Hide rushed toward the quinque with a red blur trailing behind him.

Raising his weapon to block the attack, Amon flinched as he watched the head of his mace become torn to shreds. "What…?!" With his primary weapon broken, Amon quickly reached into his trench coat to locate his firearm. Before he could aim down his sights, Hide's kagune swatted the pistol out of his hand before shoving the large man down with another tendril. Before he could chase after his pistol, Amon watched as Hide picked up the gun before he could. ' _I-I underestimated him… I had no idea a ghoul like him existed in the 20th Ward…_ ' Amon thought dreadfully as he felt himself succumbing to defeat. ' _I don't stand a chance without my quinque or sidearm… Seems I've woken up a hungry lion…_ ' Buckling under his own weight, Amon fell to his knees as he could only listen in as Hide came closer towards him. "I'm sorry Harima… I couldn't…"

"Battle's over, you lost." Hide chuckled as he aimed the pistol at Amon. "Go home, there's no point in feeling sorry for yourself now." Hide added with a victorious smirk as he felt his head beginning to sway from side to side. "What are you waiting for? An invitation? All five of you better start running before I decide to rough ya up a bit more."

"... All five of me?" Amon asked with his hand to held into his chest. Unbeknownst to Amon, with Hide's vision getting worse by the minute, it was only by pure luck that the Qunix had the pistol aimed correctly at him in the first place.

Not wanting to admit that he could only see blurs and bright lights at that point, Hide continued to show off his bravado without relent. "Yeah, you heard me! Besides, you're not in any condition to continue fighting anyway… So yeah, go away."

"A-Are you crazy?! I will never turn my back to a _ghoul!_ "

"Come on man, no one likes a sore loser."

* * *

Mado's laughter was cut short as blinding cyan light suddenly flooded the tight area he was in. "Such a warm light... ?" After blinking out the daze that temporarily blinded him, Mado looked up toward where he had Touka pinned only to find her absent from his hold. If that wasn't bad enough for him, he soon realized that the upper portion of quinque was gone as well. "My quinque disappeared…?" Looking down to his right hand, Mado found that it wasn't his hand that had been removed, but the quinque itself. Coiled up away from him, his weapon wrapped around a column as the current of the water threatened to take it away from him. "Who could have disarmed me…?"

Ignoring her pain, Touka crawled her way over to where Hinami laid. Too her relief, the wounded young girl appeared to be breathing; and such a sight only fueled Touka's efforts and determination. "Hina…!" Touka wheezed out as she pulled herself out from the flowing water and onto the small shore where the younger ghoul had been shot down. "I'll… I'll protect you…" Hacking up an unhealthy amount of blood, Touka continued to advance toward Hinami. Using her own body as a shield, Touka embraced Hinami in her arms and listened in to the small shallow breaths the younger ghoul made.

"... To- Touka…?" Feeling weak herself from blood loss, Hinami tilted her neck up enough to see past Touka's shoulders at stare at the angered expression across Mado face. "...Oh God…"

"I don't know how you did it…" Mado muttered bitterly as he felt his wicked grin finding its way back to his wrinkled lips. "But I guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way." Raising his machine gun up, he felt his lips twitch in pleasure as he aimed the sights down toward the two ghouls huddled in together. Just as he squeezed the trigger, a sudden and large burst of red light clouded around the wounded ghouls. " _WHAT NOW?!_ " Mado screamed in a frustration as he waited fired blindly into the light. Not as bright as the initial cyan burst, it was only a matter of seconds before Mado's eyes adjusted back to the darkness underneath the bridge. There separating him from his prey, a two large kagunes in the shape of moth wings acted as a barrier that blocked the shards from his quinque machine gun. "Die… DIE ALREADY!-" Just as a small creator begun to take shape in the unseen ghoul's kagune, Mado felt a small object smack him against his cheek. Letting go of the trigger, Mado grunted in annoyance as he looked down at the water's surface to discover what had been thrown at him. "What… A clown mask?" Before he could fulling turn his arm toward his new opponent, Mado let out a surprised yelp as recognized the young man struggling to pull the gun away from him. "I remember you!"

"L-Let go!" Kaneki screamed as he locked his grasp around the older man's wrist.

Without a second thought, Mado used his free hand to wrap his fingers around Kaneki's throat as they continued to fight over control of the gun. "HAHA! YES, YOU!" Mado screeched in a new found joy as he watched Kaneki struggling to breathe. "SHOW ME YOUR KAGUNE, I WILL MAKE YOU MY QUINQUE!"

"G-Get off!" Grabbing hold of Mado's hand that held his throat tightly, Kaneki begun to squeeze tightly. With the old bones of the investigator being long past their prime, Kaneki was able to pry off the fingers just in time for him to deliver a powerful headbutt to the man's nose. With Mado's nose broken, Kaneki was able slam the old man's hand that held the machine gun against the side of a concrete wall. " _ **Enough...!**_ " Prying the gun from Mado's grasp, Kaneki raised his new weapon up in the air before proceeding to slam the barrel of the gun against the side of the older man's head. A loud splash echoed through the canal as Mado fell into the man-made river. Ignoring the man's giggling outburst, Kaneki lifted the investigator up his collar before slamming him against the same concrete column Mado had used to pin Touka against. "You sick freak…"

"Kaneki… That's enough." Ryouko's voice was soothing enough that Kaneki felt his shoulders begin to relax slightly as she placed her gentle hand around the hand he used to hold the quinque version of a submachine gun. Standing tall and behind him, Ryouko hushed comfortably into Kaneki's ear as she begun to calm him down. Letting go, Kaneki kept the barrel of the gun aimed down toward Mado as he dropped the injured old man back into the water.

"… He almost killed Touka and Hinami, and… And he's the one responsible for your husband's death, isn't he…?" Kaneki argued as he glared bitterly at the blood-soaked grin Mado bared back at him. "How could you forgive him so easily?!"

"If you feel like this man's death will bring you justice… Then pull the trigger; I'll hold your hand through it all still." Ryouko said quietly as she focused in on the wide variations of emotions reflected in Kaneki's eyes. There of course was anger, a hatred almost toward the man who almost took away his friends. Yet, that's not what stuck out to Ryouko; rather, she saw hesitation fueled by fear of having to take another life.

"I… I don't want him dead..." Kaneki whispered through trembling lips. "I-I just want you and Hinami to be safe…"

"Even I was thinking that if I got even with him… Maybe my own sadness would go away and we could all just move on… For Hinami's sake." Ryouko said solemnly as she gently took the gun away from Kaneki. "But… It won't… Revenge won't bring back my husband..." Feeling tears welling up in her eyes as well, Ryouko raised her hand up to gently wipe away her tears. "I want nothing more than for us to be a family again… It's lonely here without him…"

Breaking Kaneki and Ryouko away from their conversation was the disgusted snickering that came out between Mado's bloodied lips. "A family… _GIVE IT A BREAK!_ " Launching himself from the water, Mado bellowed out a vile laugh as he leapt toward Kaneki. Having enough time to react, Kaneki quickly step to the side before slamming the back of his foot down on Mado's back. Landing face first into the water, a new wave of blood begun to turn the water around him a darker shade of red as Mado's body jerked back up. Kaneki felt his blood run cold as he watched Mado struggle to pull out the crystallized that found its way from the ground to his neck. Taking a step back, Ryouko and Kaneki's eyes widened in horror as Mado begun to gurgle out blood as he continued to grasp at his neck. Before he could pull out the shard from his throat, Mado's body succumbed to exhaustion. "Keh keh… It seems I let myself be killed by a ghoul… I slipped up… Haha…"

"N-No…" Kaneki whispered quietly as he took another step back from the man bleeding out before him. "I-I didn't… I wouldn't ever-"

"Damn it, ghoul…" Mado cursed hatefully as he stared up at Kaneki. "None of you deserve to live… The value of your existence…? Now that's funny… How ridiculous… You damned ghouls… Hah..." With his arm beginning to stretch out, Mado used his remaining strength to begin crawling toward Kaneki with every ounce of determination he had left. Witnessing the dying man advancing toward him, Kaneki felt his legs give way as he tumbled back into the water. "It's not over… You have to pay… Until I… Bury… The Sekigan… With my own hands… I cannot… Die yet…" Grabbing on to Kaneki's leg, Mado felt his world beginning to fall into darkness; and despite his determination to stay alive, Mado was forced to take his final breath before falling face first into the water. Frozen to the spot, Kaneki could feel himself beginning to hyperventilate as he he could only stare at the corpse that kept its hand grasped onto him. Silently, Ryouko made her way beside Kaneki before kneeling down. Wrapping one arm over his shoulder, she brought Kaneki in for a hug as she reached down to pull away Mado's gloved hand from the petrified young man's leg. However, in doing so, she accidently pull away the glove to reveal a wedding ring around the wrinkle man's finger. Letting out a gasp, Ryouko's hand recoiled away as Kaneki begun to quietly sob from the sight. Turning around more to face the distressed boy, Ryouko embraced the back of Kaneki's head as he buried his head into her shoulder.

* * *

Off in the near distance, Touka felt a pair of familiar arms pull her up, much to her surprise. Looking over her shoulder, she was met a pair of disorientated chocolate eyes. "H-... Hide…?"

"Touka… I can't really see right now, so uh... Tell me, is everything okay?" Confused at what he meant, Touka could only shake her head in disbelief.

However, before should would saything more, she looked over toward where Hinami had been to see Yomo standing with the young ghoul cradled in his arms with. In an almost animalistic behavior, Hinami begun to feast on the meat inside the bag Yomo handed to her. "I found him like that; I think he has a concussion." The silver-haired man explained, as if though he knew what question went through his niece's mind.

"A fucking concussion...?! From what!?"

"Oh, that." Hide said flatly. "Some investigator was going to come here to where you guys were, so… I told Kaneki to go on ahead and meet up with you while I stayed behind to take on the guy before he could cause any trouble."

"You moron…" Touka sighed as she positioned her arm over Hide's shoulder to provide herself support to walk. "Taking on an investigator by yourself… You're lucky you didn't get slaughtered."

Hide could only let out a small throaty laugh as he shrugged. "Luck had nothing to do with it; isn't that right, Hina?... She is here, right?"

"Yes Hide, I'm here." Hinami chimed in with a smile; although, such a sign of happiness Finishing the last of her meal, Hinami look up toward Hinami with a curious look on her face. "Mr. Renji... How did my mother find me?"

"I'll explain it to you when we get back… Somebody's heading this way." Looking over to Ryouko in the distance, Yomo received a silent and somber nod as she led Kaneki toward them. With the six of them ready as they could be, Yomo led the group over down the canal and toward the direction of Anteiku. As he continued to take point with Hinami resting on his back, Yomo looked up toward the sidewalk above the canal and watched as Mr. Yoshimura silently hovered over the group.

* * *

Dropping his broken quinque beside him, Amon felt his blood run as cold as the water below him. Treading through the canal and underneath the bridge, Amon stopped in his tracks before falling to his knees. Picking the deceased body of his mentor, Amon felt a wave of pain wash over him as he looked into the defeated eyes of Mado. Trembling, Amon's cheeks were soon trailing with tears as he brushed his palm over Mado's eyes to give him a more peaceful appearance for letting out a heartbroken howl of anguish into the night sky.

* * *

"Do you think it's okay…?" Hinami asked aloud as the group headed down the well-lit park.

Having switched off Kaneki with Yomo for Hinami, Ryouko glanced over her shoulder toward her exhausted daughter. "I'm sorry…?"

"Is it okay for me to live…?" Although they were merely backseat passengers of the conversation, the trio of young adults couldn't help but exchanged glances of shock after having heard Hinami's morbid question.

"Hinami…. Don't ever question the worth of your own life, because you know as well we all do that we all deserve to live." Ryouko reassured with a smile. Pulling her daughter in closer, Ryouko planted a kiss on Hinami's cheek. "I love you Hinami, and so does your father; we'll always love you, don't ever doubt that for a second…"

"I-... I love you too, mom…" Smiling, Hinami closed her tired eyes as she gently rested her head on top of her loving mother's shoulder. Although they all felt pain in the bodies and hearts, the group trudged on with smiles to different degrees on each of their faces as they continued down the path toward Anteiku.

* * *

 **I knew that after that night, there were going to be even more investigators in the 20th Ward, and I knew that they would come looking for the us. Despite what I felt that moment, even then I knew we had to do something; I had to do something. There had to be something I could do, and I knew that something was up to Hide and I. Something only we could do… Hide had told me of the investigator he had fought, and the words that stuck to him stuck to me as well: "The World is Wrong."**

* * *

 **Like I mentioned before, although I want this version of Tokyo Ghoul to be a lot angsty than the original, I do feel as though there are certain freedoms I have in this case. Though, I know tradgey is something that has to be keep consist, I plan to do things differently.**

 **Anyways, I'm thinking of having a short chapter before the 25th of December to depict Christmas in Anteiku. I'll probably do it, but let me know what you think if you want. Until then.**


	11. Yoriko's Beef Stew for the Soul

**_Here's a rather short chapter to make up for how long the last chapter_** _was._

* * *

 **The news of the Ghoul Investigator's death, Kureo Mado, didn't take long before it made headlines. Ryouko reluctantly allowed for Hinami to read the morning paper when we arrived at Anteiku. After what had happened the previous night, Mr. Yoshimura had decided to close the cafe for the day.**

* * *

The cafe was quite somber in contrast to its usual inviting atmosphere, and all were seated in the dining area as the manager stood tall in the center. With the only light source being what little sunlight leaked through the window curtains, the melancholy tone of the room only felt even more burdening to those in the room; especially Kaneki, who sat hunched over with his elbow resting on the wooden table top as his palm rested on his forehead. Beside the exhausted bookworm, all eyes of the room moved toward Hide's raised hand as he look up at Yoshimura with a frown. "Yes Hide?" The manager asked as if he were a teacher addressing an elementary school student.

"I uh… I just want to start of saying that I'm sorry about the other day." Hide announced in a calm tone that was very much unlike his usual happy-go-lucky self. "If what I did drew attention of the investigators, then I really want you all to know that I'm really sorry if I messed up."

Sitting across from the table where the two best friends sat, Touka cocked an eyebrow up in confusion at Hide's apology. "Why apologize?"

"… What do you mean why?!" Hide asked in disbelief as he stood up slightly to stare in shock at Touka.

Before Hide could finish standing all the way up, he felt a gentle yet firm hand clamp over his shoulder. Looking beside him, Hide was met with a smile across the manager's face. "I believe that Touka is insinuating that there is no reason for you to apologize." Yoshimura clarified. It took a moment for Hide to collect himself before returning back to his seat before watching the manager return to the center of the room. "I'm actually thankful for what you did back there… The both of you." Sensing that he was being stared at, Kaneki forced himself to look up from the table to make what little eye contact he could with Yoshimura's squinted eyes. "You two, both humans, fought to protect us ghouls. Nothing could make me happier than that."

"I second that." Ryouko, who was sitting beside her daughter at a booth beside Yomo, said with a smile. "If it hadn't been for either of you two boys, I wouldn't be here with Hinami… Kaneki," Shifting his focus from Yoshimura toward the woman calling his name, Kaneki was greeted with a look of absolute empathy, "if you ever want someone to talk to, you are absolutely more than welcomed to come to me whenever you want. Same goes to everyone else…"

"Mother," Hinami said in a whisper as she pulled on Ryouko's skirt, "can I tell them?"

"Of course sweet heart."

Clearly her throat, Hinami got up from her seat and made her way beside Yoshimura's side. Taking a bow, the manager took a step back to allow the young ghoul to become the center of everyone's attention. "Everyone, I want to thank you very much for everything you've done for my mom and I, and I know that no words will ever do any of you justice; especially my big brothers!" Hearing this, Kaneki couldn't help but crack a smile while Hide had a large cheesy smile across his. "Mom and I are going to be staying with Touka for a while, which is why that we're going to start helping around at Anteiku too!"

* * *

 **I had known that Hinami thought highly of Hide and I, even before the previous night's escapade; however, hearing her calling me her big brother infront of everyone did stir up something inside me. Despite what had happened last night, the joy Hinami was radiating had pierced the thick veil of guilt that had clouded me that morning, and I couldn't help but feel happy. I had no regrets.**

 **Just because we had the next day off too, Mr. Yoshimura had told Touka that she still had to go to school. Reluctantly, she left the dining area to make herself a cup of coffee before getting dressed. Meanwhile, the manager had tasked Yomo, Hide, and I with what I wouldn't call a mission… It was more of a service toward Ms. Fueguchi and Hinami. After we buried the kagune of Hinami's father, Hide and I were to assist the family.**

* * *

Despite the informal conference at Anteiku having been far more pleasant that what she had expected, the next day at Kiyomi High School, Touka found herself preoccupied with her own thoughts as the teacher was going over their history lesson. Even with the whispers from the other students around her, Touka sat at her desk with a bothered look on her face as she twirled her pen. Despite having tried to write notes from straight from the textbook below her notebook, all she could do was think back to the night she had fought and lost to the Dove. The night she almost broke her promise to Hinami. "Touka!"

Having gone to deep into her thoughts, it had taken Touka's classmate three attempts before she was able to bring her back to reality. Gasping, Touka shot back up with her back straightened in her seat as she stared bewilderingly around her. "Yeah?!" After having received a few awkward glances from several surrounding students, Touka let out a soft sigh before turning to face the girl beside her.

The girl had short hazelnut hair in a bob-cut and blunt bangs with a pair of hazel green eyes looking back at Touka with a warm and pleasant demeanor. "What's up, Touka? You seem out of it…"

"It's nothing…"

"Nothing…? Oh, c'mon. You're acting strange and seem distracted… If something's wrong, you can…"

"Agh! I'm on my period, okay?!" Touka's loud explanation, although having been a good cover up to excuse her mood, had also served to make the males in class uncomfortable.

"Oh, that explains it."

"You worry too much about the tiniest things, Yoriko…"

"Do I?" Yoriko asked before turning her attention back toward the front of the class. "But it's so obvious with you…"

"Huh…?" Glaring sideways, Touka watched as Yoriko's eyes widened. "What didja say?"

"Oh! Uh… C'mon, it's almost lunch time!"

* * *

In the cafeteria, Touka and Yoriko chose their usual seats beside the window before taking out their bagged lunches. While Yoriko had brought a bento box for lunch, she was quite surprised when all she saw of Touka's lunch was just a sandwich a bottled water. "A jelly sandwich again?"

"Is that a problem?" Touka asked calmly before taking a bite of her sandwich. "It's the easiest to eat…" She explained while ignoring the disgusting taste of the sandwich.

However, being Touka's best friend, Yoriko was hearing none of it. "You're a growing girl," she argued as she pick up her pair of chopsticks, "you need to eat something more nutritious!" Picking up a piece of chicken, Yoriko held out the chopsticks toward Touka. "Here!"

"Seriously…?" Touka asked with a nervous smile.

"C'mon, eat it." Yoriko said as she further extended the piece of chicken toward Touka's mouth.

Practically having the piece of chicken pressed against her lips, Touka let out a sigh of defeat before silently bracing herself. "Fine…" Without showing her reluctance, Touka quickly chomped down and and began to chew.

"I changed the seasoning a bit…" Yoriko commented as she watched for any reaction from Touka. With a gulp, Touka forced a smile. "Well…?" Rather than a straightforward response, Yoriko received a flick to her forehead. "Ow!"

"It's good, it's good."

"You're just saying that…" Yoriko said with a small giggle as she rubbed her forehead.

"I mean it… Hey, I'm going to bathroom real quick, I'll be- _!_ " Before she could finish excusing herself to the bathroom, Touka nearly fell backwards with a gasp. A look of concern washed over Yoriko face as she watched Touka pointing toward the window with a look of shock on her face. However, when Yoriko saw what had scared Touka so badly, she let out a small laugh. "It's not funny…!" Touka muttered with flushed cheeks as she avoided having to stare at the grey parrot that sat just outside the window.

"I know it's not funny, but you just had me worried is all." Yoriko said reassuringly before turning her attention back at the large grey bird. "I should have known that it was just Haro." Yoriko said while stifling another giggle.

The African Grey Parrot they named 'Haro' had been the bane of Touka's lunch time for the past couple of months, and only served as a reminder to her fear of birds. "Whatever… I'll be back…"

* * *

Luckily for Touka, all the stalls in the girl's bathroom were empty, which meant for her that she wouldn't have to worry about being interrupted as she did her best to force down the chicken and sandwich. Surrounded by three bottles, two being empty, Touka clamped her palm over her lips as she bit back to taste of bile. Taking a moment to swallow down what her stomach rejected, Touka quickly grabbed hold of her water bottle before downing its contents. "Go down… Go down…" She repeated to herself as she clenched her stomach. "Go down! Go down!" After hearing a loud rumble in her stomach, Touka fell forward with her sweaty hands holding herself up as she started to huff loudly. "Thank you… I ate it…"

* * *

On her walk back from school, Touka was crossing the street away toward the convenience store when she found herself stopping in her tracks. When she spotted Hide and Kaneki by the store with ice cream cones in their hands, needless to say that she was surprised to see them. "Oh hey, you're done with school already?" Hide asked in between licks of his ice cream as he and Kaneki walked over to Touka.

"Were you two waiting for me this entire time… Didn't know you were into _THAT_ kinda thing."

Nearly dropping his cone, Kaneki's eyes shot open as he took a step back. "Wa-wait now! We're not stalkers!"

"Well I'm not anyway… Can't say the same about my boy, Kaneki." Hide said with a shrug as he continued to lick greedily at his treat.

"Hey!"

"What about Rize, weren't you pretty creepy when it came to your obsession with her when she came to Anteiku?"

Before the two could begin escalating their argument, Touka let out a small sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "What the hell do you two want…?"

* * *

"Hinami, Ms. Fueguchi, I'm home." Touka announced as she stepped into her apartment.

Having been reading a book, Hinami took a moment to place a bookmark into the page she was on before going to greet the ghoul. "Hey, Touka… Hm?" Looking past Touka taking off her shoes, Hinami's eyes lit up as she saw her two big brothers standing behind Touka. "Hide! Kaneki!" Hinami shouted gleefully as she ran toward the open arms of Hide.

"Hey Hina, how you doin'?" Hide asked with his usual smile as he lifted Hinami up in his arms.

"I'm going good, thank you for asking!" Hinami said happily as she rested her chin on Hide's chest.

Coming out from the kitchen, Ryouko had an apron tied around her waist as she went to see what had Hinami so excited. "I didn't know the boys were coming over; I would have made more coffee…"

"Neither did I, Ms. Fueguchi." Touka said with frustration. "They were waiting at the store for me for thirty minutes; isn't that sick?"

"I wouldn't say that." As Touka made her way to her living room, Ryouko brushed past the ghoul to give Kaneki a better greeting. In a motherly fashion, Ryouko wrapped her arms around Kaneki. "Good to see you, hun."

Having been caught off guard with the sudden hug, it took Kaneki a few moments to process what was going before he awkwardly returned the hug. "... Ms. Fueguchi, did you cut your hair?"

"Touka did my hair, yes. What do you think?" Ryouko asked as she took a step back to show off her new hair cut. Unlike her previous brown hair that was loosely tied to the left of her shoulder, her new hairstyle was chopped into a short styled bob.

"Kaneki, look! Touka cut my hair too!" Hinami announced as she pointed to her own bob cut, much like her own mother's.

"Wow! It looks like you two got it done at a salon." Kaneki said with a wide smile.

By the time Touka had turned her television on, she was able to overhear what Kaneki said. "Y-Yeah…" She chuckled quietly as she made her way over to Hide. "Anyway… What did ya want again?"

"Well, we wanted to see Hinami and Ryouko of course." Hide said as he ran his fingers playfully through Hinami's hair, "But that's not all… Mr. Yoshimura told us that you might need help moving them in, so if there's anything we can do…"

"Why would Mr. Yoshimura… Fine, unbox the furniture over there then." Touka said while brushing off her own question.

"For sure. Here Hina, gotta let you down so I can get started."

"Sure!" Hinami said happily as she hopped down onto the wood tiles below. "Hey… You wouldn't happen to have brought today's newspaper…?"

"Thought you were never going to ask, here." Hide chuckle as he took out a rolled up issue of the news from his jacket. "Try to read this when you have time; hopefully it'll be a lot less depressing than yesterday's issue… Come on Kaneki, we got work to do."

"Oh, okay." Kaneki nodded as he followed behind Hide.

Just before Touka could plop herself down on the couch, another ring from the door interrupted her from having the chance to relax. "Another visitor…?" Walking with a quickened pace, Touka stopped in front of her door before leaning to peek through the peephole. "Who is it...?" On the other side of the door stood Touka's best friend waiting patiently outside. "What's Yoriko doing here… Crap, I need to hide them…" Turning around, Touka sprinted down her hallway while shouting for the Fueguchi family and Kaneki to hide. Suddenly, her cell phone began to violently vibrate in her pocket. "...! What now…?!" Ignoring her phone, Touka quickly swung the door open. As soon as Yoriko could see Touka's face, she ended her phone call to Touka. "What's up…?"

"I'm sorry for showing up like this." Yoriko said as she immediately apologized to her best friend. "You were acting strange at school so… I got kinda worried…"

"Huh…? I'm fine… You worry too much." Touka said in an attempt to brush off her friend's worries.

"No, Touka." Yoriko objected with a sadden frown on her face. "You had that sad look on your face, like when your dad moved overseas for work… I'm sorry if I'm wrong…" Touka felt herself clamping up, and despite how much she wanted to keep reassuring herself and Yoriko that things were good, she found it nearly impossible to even open her mouth. Before Yoriko could comment on her friend's facial expression, a pair of black converse sneakers beside the door caught her attention. "Oh… Ayato's home...?" Looking up from the sneakers, Yoriko let out a small gasp as she saw Hide at the end of the hallway. "Hey?!"

"Ayato…?" Hide muttered to himself as he continued to hold onto Hinami's large plushie.

"No way…? I didn't know your… B-B-Boy…" Yoriko struggled to form a coherent sentence as she stared at Hide. "I'm sorry….! I didn't know!"

"Huh? Uh… Yoriko?"

"Oh…!" Having almost forgotten what she was holding, Yoriko raised the large pot in her hands up for Touka to take notice of. "I meant this for the two of us, but… Here! I made meat and potato stew… Eat it with your boyfriend!"

"Huh?! What'd you just say?!" All Yoriko could do was shoved the pot into Touka's chest before baring a cletched fist at her. Without another word, the girl was gone; leaving a confused teenage ghoul standing at her door with a pot of stew in hand. "... What was that clenched ist supposed to mean?"

After giving everyone okay to roam about the apartment again, Touka made her way to the kitchen to place the pot down on the stove top. Almost immediately, Kaneki popped his head into the kitchen. Taking in a large whiff through his nostrils, Kaneki could feel his mouth salivated as he stared at the pot. "What's that…?"

"Yoriko… My friend brought it, but she saw Hide's shoes and left." Touka explained.

"So you have friends."

"Want me to kick your ass?"

Ignoring Touka's threat, Kaneki inched himself closer until he was right beside the pot of stew that enticed him. "Yoriko, huh…? Well I know you can't eat any of it, so I'll do you a favor and just take it."

"What?!" Touka's eyes shot open wide in disbelief before swiping the pot away from the drooling bookworm. "Are you crazy?!"

"But…"

"I'm gonna eat it!" Touka announced sternly before placing the pot down on the counter. "She went through the trouble of making it, and it looks delicious!"

"I can tell…" Kaneki said quietly as she watched Touka remove the cover from the pot. While Touka was preparing herself a bowl, the luscious and mouth-watering aroma sent shivers down Kaneki's back as he felt the corners of mouth beginning to curl into a grin. "Um… Can I have some?"

Without a second thought, Touka shoved her bowl in front of Kaneki's face. "Here."

Taking the pair of chopsticks from Touka, Kaneki's hand trembled violently as he forced himself not to devour the stew like a hungry animal. Taking the first bite, Kaneki's eyelids shot wide open. "The potato's texture is akin to that of cloud that's been fried and seasoned to perfection…! The sauteed onions are as sweet as the most carefully crafted caramel ever created…! The broth is like a river of salty goodness mixed in with the juiciest beef…! A secret ingredient?! What did she put in this?! What goddess chef could create such a layered blissful series of flavors that crash on me like the waves of Poseidon himself…!? I didn't know carefully prepared food like this even existed, I...!"

Dumbfounded and uncomfortable, Touka looked down to the ground as she continued to watched Kaneki enjoying her friend's food far more than he should have. It was painfully obvious that while Kaneki was on his knees, he was crying with each greedy bite. "... At least Yoriko's food won't go to waste…" Doing her best to move around Kaneki, Touka prepared herself another bowl. Taking a moment to stare down at the stew, she once again braced herself before shoving the chopsticks into her mouth. "Yup… Yup… It's good!" She declared while trying her best to imitate Kaneki's ode to her friend's cooking. "I-I see why she's an aspiring chef… Ugh… Uagh…!"

While Kaneki would normally stop whatever he was doing to help his friends in anyway he could, he found himself too busy pouring himself another bowl to care about Touka dashing out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. "Touka, are you okay?" Was all Kaneki asked before continuing to devour the food. "Touka, there's a lot of food; I'll do you a favor and take it home, okay?!"

* * *

 _ **Here's a short chapter. I wouldn't call this filler, perhaps it is by definition, but I think if I were to transition this chapter directly to Tsukiyama's story arc, it would be rather strange. Anyway, although I wasn't able to post a Christmas themed chapter, I still hope that you had a great holiday! **_


	12. Sternengesang

_**Happy New Years!**_

* * *

Waiting for Kaneki to finish climbing down the ladder well, Touka stood with her back against the underground cement wall as she watched every step the bookworm cautiously took as he almost reached the bottom step. "Have you two been keeping up on your training?"

"Yeah." Kaneki replied back with a prideful smile. "I've been doing push ups every night; as of last night, I can do ten whole push ups without help from my kagune! It feels good to exercise."

"Ditto, and I've been doing pull ups like it was no one's business." Hide added on as he stood beside Touka. "And yeah, exercising feels good I guess."

"Oh yeah…?" Touka asked in a tone that immediately made Hide step away from her. Pulling up her sleeve, she slowly made her way in front of Kaneki before thrusting her fist toward his ribs. Kaneki let out a small yelp as he leap back away from Touka's fist. "You're still gonna need to bulk up too." Touka commented as she made her way back to Hide's side. "The surviving Doves are gonna be better prepared next time, and they'll be sending guys that'll be even tougher… I need to get stronger too…" Touka muttered quietly to herself. "... Kaneki… You're lucky to have that strong of a kagune inside you… That goes for you too Hide."

"About that…" Hide muttered as he sheepishly stared back at Touka. "I want to avoid relying on my kagune as much as possible from now on. I don't think it's wise to rely solely on something that has a chance of being broken."

"Then what? You gonna fight with your bare hands from now on?"

"I wanna fight like you and Kaneki! Kinda like when Kaneki stomped Nishio, except the part where he pretty much cooked his guts… Basically, I don't want to hurt anyone more than I have to."

"Hmm… What a waste…" Touka whispered. "If you wanna be like me… You should be able to do a backflip at least."

"A backflip?! Oh hell yea!" While Touka leaned down to help prepare Hide for his first backflip, it was Kaneki who first noticed the pair of footsteps echoing through the nearest tunnel. Meanwhile, Hide had his back pressed against Toukas as he struggled to balance himself on her small frame. "D-Don't let go, okay?"

"Yeah sure, whatever… Oh, Yomo." Touka addressed her uncle as he approached the trio. "Good evening."

Stopping a few yards away from where Touka and Hide were practicing a backflip, Yomo took a moment to observe the two before taking off his hoodie. "What kinda game are you guys playing?"

"Reverse leapfrog." Hide answered back sarcastically, but was quickly reprimanded for his humor with a swift elbow to his side from Touka.

"We're training... To do a backflip." She explained.

"Shit Touka, I'm gonna fall…!"

"Hide." Yomo addressed with a bored expression as he watched the young man fall over with a thud.

"Y-Yeah, what is it?" Hide asked as he leaned up to sitting position while rubbing the back of his head profusely.

"Oh shit, sorry." Touka quickly apologized before allowing Yomo to continue on with what he had to say.

"I've been watching you two for a while now, and I have to say, you're not bad at evasive maneuvers, but… You both suck at everything else." Hide and Kaneki exchanged glances before looking back to see Yomo taking off his trench coat. "Stand up."

"Er… Sure thing, boss." Hide said as he tried to smile to lighten up the mood for himself. "Okay, what now?"

"Try and hit me." Yomo said flatly.

"Oh… Okay, sure." Taking a deep breath, Hide crouched down before quickly launching himself toward Yomo with his fist raised up. "If ya say so!"

Despite how fast he swung his fist, Yomo was easily able to redirect his attack away from himself. "If you miss, quickly make your next move." Yomo instructed, to which Hide took with a pinch of salt. Using his other fist, Hide attempted to uppercut the older man, only to watch as Yomo quickly ducked underneath his fist. "Use your legs too."

Off to the sidelines, Touka looked up to Kaneki with a deadpan expression. "This is not going to end well." As on if on cue, the moment Hide tried to deliver a roundhouse to the side of Yomo's head, Yomo was able to grab hold of Hide leg before flipping him backwards. "At least he did that backflip I told him to do…"

Looking down at Hide, Yomo watched as Hide leaned back up stare at him with a dazed look. "You're not using your hips. You've got no weight behind it." Yomo explained to Hide before turning his attention toward his niece. "Touka, you too."

Pausing for a moment, Touka quickly stood to her feet while brushing off any dust off her legs. "Brings back memories… You training me." Touka said casually with a smirk. "Both of us at the same time?" Cracking her fingers in preparation, Touka was only met with silence as Yomo stared back at her with a bored expression. "That look… You want us to just go for it, don't you?"

Standing back, Kaneki was practically give a front row seat to watch what happened next. Immediately after Hide and Touka dashed toward Yomo, Hide was accidently kicked in the face by Touka before Yomo backhanded her. If Kaneki had to guess, the whole attack lasted approximately five seconds before the fight was over. "If you're gonna train them, teach them the fundamentals. And you need to stop eating things you don't have to; it's slowing you way down."

Just as Kaneki had thought: neither of his friends stood a chance against Yomo. To Kaneki, there was such an obvious difference in skill. "Even so…" Kaneki muttered quietly to himself before taking a step forward. "Excuse, Mr. Renji." Kaneki addressed politely as he did his best to tuck in his striped sweater. "Would it be okay if I tried? I won't use my kagune."

Hearing this, Touka let out a rhetorical laugh as she pointed at Kaneki. "Hey dumbass, if you haven't noticed, we sorta just got our asses handed to us just now; and you're going to try to take him on by yourself?!"

"As much as I would hate to agree with Touka on this, she has a point ya know." Hide chimed in as he rubbed his cheek. "Every fight you've been in, you've always used your kagune to win, right?"

"Yeah… But it's like you said Hide, I can't rely on my kagune alone."

"If that's what you want… I accept." Yomo said as he stood at the ready for what Kaneki had to offer. "Hit me if you can." Although he wasn't as fast as Hide or Touka when it came to running without a kagune, Kaneki was able to quickly launched forward with his right hand raised up. When he was about three feet away from Yomo, Kaneki threw a sloppy right hook toward Yomo, who was easily able to block it like he did with Hide. However, having listened to Yomo's earlier words, Kaneki followed up his attack with a left jab, to which Yomo quickly ducted under. Just as Yomo quickly dove up to deliver a powerful uppercut to Kaneki's jaw, the older man was surprised when Kaneki back away just in time. However, a sudden and powerful irritating sensation momentarily blinded Yomo as Kaneki threw a handful of small debris into his eyes. "What the hell...?" With Yomo blinded, Kaneki quickly untied his shoe before throwing it with all his might toward the ground behind Yomo. Having heard what sounded like a footstep, Yomo blindly delivered a roundhouse behind him where he thought he had heard Kaneki. In that small window of opportunity, Kaneki leaned forward and shoved Yomo back with all his force. Although the older man had been able to recover from Kaneki's sneak attack, he knew that he had been hit.

"I… I did it! I-"

Kaneki's victory proved to be short lived by having Touka tackling him from behind and on to the ground. "You fucking cheating piece of shit!" Touka shouted directly into his ear as she dug her knuckles into his head; effectively giving the bookworm a harsh nuggie. "Why the hell did you resort to using such a cheap trick?! The whole point of that was so that Yomo could critique you, ya fuckin' asshole!"

"That was sort of a low blow dude…" Hide commented as he stood up.

"Now hold on." Yomo said as he raised his hand up for Touka to stop. "While that was a pathetic trick you used on me Kaneki, I have to give you credit; that was rather resourceful of you."

"But… He threw fucking sand in your eyes, Yomo." Touka said in exhaustion as she pointed toward her own eyes. "That's a chicken shit move if I ever seen one!"

"True, but Kaneki knew that in a one on one match without his kagune, he stood no chance against me, let alone you. However, rather relying solely on brute force or agile movement, he used what was around him, and in doing so, managed to hit me; something that you failed to do even with help from Hide, Touka." Upon saying this, Yomo was met with a bitter and sour look from Touka as she got off Kaneki. "I believe it was Sun Tzu who said "All is fair in love and war." Isn't that right, Kaneki?"

"I think so… So uh… what were you doing here anyway?"

* * *

 **Admittedly, what I did was rather despicable; and to be frank, I didn't know what prompted me to even do such as thing. Perhaps it was because I had just watched my friends get bested by Yomo, and I felt the need to take him down a notch? And to think, I once believed that it was better to be hurt than to hurt others… But the more I thought about, I couldn't help but think that perhaps it's better to make it so no one has to get hurt?**

 **Oh well.**

 **After receiving an answer from Yomo in the form of a punch to the gut, the three of us took turns showering while we got Anteiku ready for the morning.**

* * *

" _It is believed to be the work of the ghoul known as the Gourmet…_ " Staring at the television beside Hide, Touka listened to the news reporter explain of a woman who was found roaming the streets the previous night; the alarming thing about the woman was that she was found without any eyes.

"He's been… Rather active ever since Rize died…" Touka said aloud as she shook her head.

"Who?" Was all Hide had to say about the actions of the Gourmet spoken of on television.

Meanwhile, Kaneki continued to cater to tables as he glanced over at the television. "The Gourmet… That name was on that wanted poster."

As if on cue, the bell attached to the entrance of the door rang through the cafe. Quickly moving from behind the counter to greet the customer, Touka prepared a notepad and pen as she came around the corner of the kitchen. "Welcome to…"

"Mm… Smells good." Standing beside the entrance, a young woman in a suit stood holding the door open. She had violet hair, cut short with long curling bangs on the right side and very thick eyebrows that hung over her hot pink eyes. The young woman wore a suit, much like the one the man who she was holding the door open for had on. The young man was tall, and just like the young woman beside him, was very attractive. However, unlike the young woman beside him, the man's suit was very eccentric in style, and was extremely bright and colorful. The man took another deep whiff of the coffee house air before letting out a soft exhale. "This place is always relaxing…"

"Welcome." Kaneki greeted cheerfully as he took notice at the two violet-haired adults. The way that they looked to Kaneki instantly made him think that they were perhaps models.

"It's been a while!" The man greeted back happily as he waved toward the waitresses behind Kaneki. "Miss Kirishima."

Rolling her eyes, Touka did her best to hide her discomfort from the eccentricity-fashioned man as she looked at him. "What do you want…?"

"Watch your mouth, _schwein (swine) !_ " Shouted the young woman who had been holding door. Meanwhile, Touka stood there with a mixture of anger and confusion at what exactly she had been called. "A peasant like you should-!"

However, before things could escalate any further, the man placed his hand reassuringly on the young woman's shoulder before leaning in to whisper something in a language Kaneki couldn't understand. "Oh c'mon… We just came by to say hello, there's no need for any rude remarks now; isn't that right, Miss. Kirishima? Although… That's also what makes you charming."

"You're a freak." Was all Touka had to say about the man's advances.

"Miststück (Bitch) …!"

"Now now Kanae, there's no need to act like that!" The man said with a small amount of annoyance as he patted her shoulder. "We're guests here, remeber?"

Almost at once, Kanae took a bow in front of the young man with an apologetic look on her face. "My apologies, mein Glorreich. I shall be on my best behavior."

Accepting Kanae's apology, the man returned her gesture with a bow of his own. "Je te pardonne (I forgive you)...!" Finally realizing that Kaneki was standing a mere two yards away from him, the man approached him with a look of curiosity. "Is that you…? The tough guy who killed an investigator?"

"Tough guy…?" Upon being asked such a question, Kaneki felt a bit uneased by how casually the man had just asked if he was a killer "Oh… No, I just stopped him from hurting anyone else; the rest was sort of an accident… My name's Kaneki by the way."

"Kaneki, huh…? Hmm…" The man hummed to himself as he circled himself around the timid bookworm like a hungry shark would do to its prey. "You're more frail than I imagined." He said. All of a sudden, without warning, the man leaned in to take a deep whiff of Kaneki's neck. "A strange scent…"

"Hey!" Touka shouted, and although she couldn't bother herself to step in between the two, the young waitress had it in her to use her hand to shoo away the man. "We're workin' here, and you're a freak; so get the hell outta here!"

Although flustered with Touka's bad mouthing, Kanae remained silent with her poker face as she waited to take her leave. Contrary to Kanae's frustration, the man gave Touka another smirk before taking a step back from Kaneki. "It's always such a pleasure with you…" The man said sarcastically, and began to make his way toward the door, but not before placing his hand on Kaneki's shoulder. "I'll stop by again soon for some coffee; when Mr. Yoshimura is here." The young man stated as he lifted his hand off Kaneki's shoulder to wave back at him. "Well then, Kaneki… I'll see you later."

Somewhat shocked, but not afraid, Kaneki watched in fascination as Kanae held the door open until the man had left. After the two well dressed adults left, Kaneki quickly jogged over to the counter where Touka went back to with a look of curiosity on his face. "Who were they…?"

"The 20th Ward's nuisances." Touka replied back vaguely. "You don't want to get involved with those people… Especially that tall guy; he's a pain in the ass."

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Kaneki continued on with his shift without any problems for the most part. Other than a few trips to the store to fetch a few supplies, the rest of his shift was relatively easy. Having almost forgotten about his strange encounter with the two odd strangers, Kaneki didn't feel the need to worry when he noticed what look like a child approaching him outside of Anteiku. "Oh, hi!" Kaneki greeted cheerfully as the girl stopped a yard away from him. Taking notice of her features, Kaneki could see that she had dark brown hair and a lighter shade of brown eyes. She had on a green raincoat with sleeves rolled up with a single pink strap across her chest. It took Kaneki a moment to realize why the bag that rested on her hip was so small, but by the time he realized what kind of bag she had, a sudden flash erupted, causing Kaneki to take a step back in a dazed reaction. "What the…?" Having to rub his dazed eyes with his hands, by the time his sight returned to normal, the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Hey…! Where'd you go…?"

"Dude, I'm right here." Caught off guard by the sudden loudness of Hide's voice, Kaneki nearly jumped a meter high as he let out a yelp. Seeing his friend's reaction, Hide snickered to himself. "Sheesh, you look like you've seen a mouse or something."

"A mouse…?" Kaneki muttered as he turned to look at Hide with look of confusion. "No, it wasn't that… There was a little girl here and she took my picture. Didn't you see her run off or something?"

"A little girl…?" Squinting his eyes, Hide took a moment to glance around their surroundings before turning to shake his head at Kaneki. "Nope, she must have ran off."

"Weird, I didn't hear any footsteps…" Kaneki muttered in a low voice as he crossed his arms. "You don't think she would take a picture of me because… Because she knows who I am?"

"It's hard to say," Hide said as he crossed his arms behind him to allow himself to rest his hand on his palms. "If she's a child like you said, then I doubt she would have any ties with the CCG… However, at the same time, it is possible that there's a wanted poster of you that's posted."

Hearing this, Kaneki felt a wave of panic threatening to overtake him as he found himself beginning to pace back in forth. "Damnit… Now I have to go check out that post board!"

"Yeah, you probably should… I'll go with you if you want."

"I appreciate the offer Hide, thank you."

* * *

 **I knew that at with it being so late at night, it would have looked suspicious if I were to go to the CCG's Headquarters just to skim over the post board and leave immediately after; so having Hide come along with me would only increase our chances for being caught.**

 **However, with things being the way that they were, it was safer to go out with a friend rather than heading out alone at night; and although neither of us were suspects or wanted on the post board, I couldn't help but shake off the feeling that we were being watched the entire time.**

* * *

Walking through the park of the school grounds, the man with eccentric fashion tastes kept his hands in his slack pockets as he took a stroll beside his servant. With the sun shining and hardly a cloud in the sky, it seemed like as good as a time as any for the two to give a surprise welcome to the man's target of interest. "Kami University, huh…?" The man mused to his servant as his eyes scanned the open and large park inside the campus. "He's enrolled here, is that right?"

"If what's written in Ms. Chie's report is to be believed; than yes, he should be here." Kanae replied with a nod as she kept pace with the man.

"And is he alone right now?"

"Again, if Ms. Chie is correct, than that friend of his should be in class; so that would be the case… If that little mouse is considered credible that is…"

"Have faith in Hori, Kanae." The man said reassuringly as he patted his hand on her shoulder.

* * *

Having just gotten off his first class of the day, Kaneki had decided to get a bagel with a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. Being one of those days that Hide was unavailable to have lunch with him, Kaneki had decided to take a seat at the same bench he frequented. Setting down his lunch, Kaneki opened up his new grey satchel and pulled out a small magazine. Flipping to the first article of the magazine, Kaneki began to read as he took a drink from his styrofoam cup. Even with his extremely heightened sense of taste, the dullness of the coffee was still very evident to the bookwork. Sighing, Kaneki pushed the coffee away and instead begun taking snacking on his bagel. Having been too engrossed with his reading, Kaneki failed to hear the clitter clatter of high-class designer shoes paving their way over the concrete walkway behind him. "Kaneki." A familiar man's voice called out from behind. Surprised, Kaneki looked over shoulder as he watched the man from a few days ago make his way beside him. "Hey."

"Oh.. Hi, uh…?"

"Shuu Tsukiyama." The man introduced himself before glancing over to his servant who stood to his side. "And this is my lovely cousin, Kanae von Rosewald."

"Charmed." Kanae said as she took a bow in front of Kaneki.

Tsukiyama let out a soft laugh as he saw the look of confusion on Kaneki's face before clearing his throat to compose himself. "May I sit?"

"Oh, please." Kaneki said as politely as he could as he watched Tsukiyama take a seat across from him. Taking a look over to Kanae, Kaneki found it strange that she continued to stand with her back straightened up in a formal fashion rather than taking a seat with them. "Oh uh, you can have a seat too if you want."

"I thank you for the kind offer, but if it's all the same, I'd rather stand." She replied back in a pleasant yet straight-to-the-point kind of way. "No disrespect indeed, sir."

"Oh, you don't have to call me that; Kaneki's fine."

"Noted."

Slightly uncomfortable with Kanae's formalities, Kaneki turned his attention back to Tsukiyama to see him smiling after having watched the two interact. "Um… What are you two doing here?"

"I came to see you." Tsukiyama said in a low voice as he pointed his index finger at Kaneki. "If that were the reason, how would it make you feel?"

Trying to play off the sudden bluntness of the man, Kaneki let out a nervous laugh as he held his chin. "Huh? Uh… Um… I dunno…" Kaneki said as he lied through his teeth. In reality, he knew that if that was the case, and he had a slight feeling that it was, he'd be uncomfortable. ' _So he's the gourmet… According to Touka, he's the 20th Ward's nuisance… What does he want with me and what's he up to…?_ ' Kaneki thought to himself as he instinctively brought the magazine up to his face, but not high enough to lose sight of the man in front of him.

"Is that a martial arts book?" Tsukiyama asked as he pointed toward the magazine.

"Uh, yes…"

"Hmm. That's kind of unexpected." Tsukiyama stated as he watched Kaneki set the magazine down. "I thought you'd be into something more literary."

"Th… That's what I usually read." Kaneki explained nervously as he looked down at the cover art of the magazine. "But I just recently got into this…"

"Into martial arts?"

"Y-Yeah… It's not safe these days…"

"Knowledge of self-defense, I see." Tsukiyama mused aloud. "But that doesn't make for a very interesting read, does it?"

"Yeah, it's great and all, but it's not the most compelling material." Kaneki said in an agreeance. "But when I read other books, I couldn't quite picture the fight scenes in them. But with a little bit of knowledge, I'm able to picture those scenes better now." Kaneki explained as he felt a smile spreading across his lips. "Turns out the parts I didn't quite enjoy are actually enjoyable; kind of an added bonus…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Tsukiyama said as he gave a nod. "If you have background knowledge of subjects covered in a piece of work, you're able to enjoy it even more deeply. You can envision so much from just one passage… Imagining yourself walking freely in an imaginary world from the creator's perspective… It makes me tingle with excitement."

Having found himself invested in what the man he considered a few seconds ago to be intimidating had to say, Kaneki had been caught off guard with the man's passion of reading. "You really do like books, don't you?"

"Only when I'm immersed in a book, am I able to forget who I am." Tsukiyama said profoundly as he took in a deep breath of the warm afternoon air. "Fiction is what helped me through some tough times." Hearing this, Kaneki agreed with him. In fact, Kaneki couldn't help but think back to when he was a child, back before he first met Hide; back to those days where he would spend all his time alone in the public library. "So, I hear you read the works of Takatsuki? The regulars at Anteiku told me."

"Oh, yeah… Her style is subtle, but there's an inner strength to it. I'm fascinated by her indescribable style…"

"I see… There's a place I really like… It's a cafe ran by a book lover. The ambience is so comforting; the smell of old books and coffee is blended in just the right way." Tsukiyama explained. "According to rumors, I hear Takatsuki shows up there too…"

Upon hearing such a rumor, Kaneki felt his heart skip a beat as he slammed his hands down in shock. "What…?! Takatsuki…?!" Disbelief mixed in with high hopes made Kaneki's head begin to feel light as he continued to stare at the man in front of him.

"Would you like to go sometime? We can bring our favorite books to share. I'm sure you'll like it there."

Any trace of excitement on Kaneki's face instantly vanished, and instead Kaneki could feel the creeping sense of caution returning. "Um… That does sound fun, but…"

Despite not looking like a bad person, Kaneki still felt as though he couldn't trust him. "Did Miss Kirishima say something about me?"

"Uh, um…"

"It's okay, I know." Mimicking the gestures as if though he were shedding a tear, Tsukiyama ran a finger across the area below his eye before letting out a sigh. "I've always been misunderstood… People shun me, thinking I'm a snob. I try to be sociable with them, but they shun me for trying too hard… I'm not allowed to participate in Ward meetings, so I'm always out of the loop." Tsukiyama explained with a wave of the hand. "With Miss Kamishiro gone now, I have nobody to talk to… But I feel something similar to her with you."

"Similar to Rize…?" Kaneki muttered as he shook his head. "I'm nothing like her..."

"My apologies, it's just that there aren't that many book-reading ghouls. You know how it is… Most of them are rather vulgar."

"I'm not really a ghoul though."

"So you know how it feels then? To be outcasted by those around you?" Tsukiyama asked before looking Kaneki straight in the eye. "I'm just looking for a friend who I can talk to… Such as things we like in a quiet place… I've bothered you, haven't I? I'm sorry… I'll leave you…" Tsukiyama apologized as he stood up from the bench.

As Kaneki watched Tsukiyama begin to head back with Kanae, he began to feel a sudden weight beginning to form in the pit of his stomach; the feeling of guilt was weighing down hard on Kaneki's conscious and made him stand up from the seat of the bench. "... Um… If... If you want, you could talk to me about books…"

Stopping in his tracks, Tsukiyama gave a sideways glance back at Kaneki as a smile found its way on his lips. "Thank you, Kaneki! I was hoping you'd say that! Let's meet at the station on Sunday!"

* * *

"Yeah, I feel like I got coaxed into it…" Kaneki explained as he finished telling Hide of his strange and surprising encounter with Tsukiyama. Having been listening to his best friend's story as they were nearing the end of their walk toward Anteiku, Hide continued to rest his head on his palms. "But get this: He mentioned Rize a few times; told me that he used to know her."

"Huh… Was there something between the two then?"

"I didn't ask…" Kaneki said with a slight look of embarrassment as they approached the entrance to Anteiku. "Hide… Do you… Do you see Rize when you sleep?"

"You mean like how you used to always see Touka's dad?" Hide asked as the two came to a stop in front of the entrance. "Oh wow, it's locked…"

"Yeah, yeah… Does she talk to you or anything…?"

"Well, there was this one time I had a dream of her… It was vivid too; like the ones you told me you used to have." Hide explained as he fumbled around for the right key amidst his keychain. "It was after I got that quique or whatever put inside me."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing worth writing down." Hide replied with a shrugged. "Just a bunch of vulgar words and obscenities towards me, and how I ruined her and all that stuff you'd expect from a vengeful spirit... Found the key."

"Spirit…? Does that mean… Are ghosts real?" Kaneki asked, in a voice that reflected both his skepticism and fear of the unknown.

Hide gave another shrug as he inserted the key into the doorknob. "Hell if I know… Oh look, it's Yomo."

Looking over his shoulder, Kaneki watched as Yomo finished turning around the corner of the block before coming to stop in front of them. "Hey." Yomo greeted casually.

"Oh…! Yomo, this is a surprise." Said Kaneki as he gave a small smile to the unamused man in front of him.

"What're you two doing here?" Yomo asked as he glanced over Kaneki's shoulder to see Hide smiling back at him.

"We were going to hang out and drink some coffee, what about you?" Hide asked.

"I was in the neighborhood…"

"Oh… I see." Hide replied before feeling his smile grow even wider. "Well… Since you're here… Wanna take a look at the sick shit Kaneki and I learned?"

"We've been practicing." Kaneki said as he gave a coy look toward Yomo, who in turn proceed to roll his eyes.

"I'm busy… Maybe next time… Hey, do you two wanna come with me on a trip?"

"What?!" Hide asked in shock as he felt a shiver go down his back. "Not the mountain again…?!"

Memories flooded back into Kaneki as he let out an audible gulp. "I… Uh…"

"No." Yomo reassured in a blunt tone. "I'm meeting somebody… She's been wanting to meet you two for some strange reason…"

"She?" Kaneki asked as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"... But you don't have to," Yomo said reassuringly, "it'd be a pain, right?"

"Well that all depends," Hide stated as he crossed his arms. "What's she's like anyway? No offense, but pretty much everyone Touka's introduced us to has been… Colorful, to say the least…"

"She's… She's, er…"

"We'll go." Kaneki said, accepting the invitation with a smile on his face. "You were kind enough to invite us after all."

* * *

 **One of the first differences between those of the 20th Ward and the 14th Ward was the condition of the city. Unlike the cleanliness of the 20th ward, when we arrived in the 14th ward, Hide was the first to point out how much graffiti and trash polluted the area. From what Yomo had told me, the city used to be extremely violent and cannibalism was commonly practiced among ghouls out in the open. And although I was assured that ever since the CCG rose to power, Yomo told me that it was best to keep our wits in check.**

* * *

After find a parking space, Yomo ushered the two younger men to follow him as he lead the way toward an opening in the side of the building. Judging by the many vending machines and lit up signs around in the large open entrance, Kaneki wondered silently to himself if perhaps they were going to some sort of shop. When they finally arrived inside, it was only then did Kaneki realize where they were. "A bar…Hide and I are actually underage."

"Never stopped me before…" Hide quietly muttered under his breath. As he snickered, Kaneki gave him a glare. Just as Hide was about to tease Kaneki, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the black sign that hung from the door. "Hey wait, this place is closed…"

Yomo took a step beside Hide to further examine the sign before trying to door handle. "She might have already left."

"Oh, I see." Kaneki muttered as he let out a sigh. "So… What now?"

However, before Yomo could give an answer, Kaneki's ears pricked up as he begun to hear the sudden sound of heavy panting behind him. "Excuse me…" A scratchy voice sounded from behind. Reluctant to see the person that had such a dreadful voice, Kaneki slowly turned his head over his shoulder. Like a flash, the next thing Kaneki knew, he was laying on his back screaming in horror as a gruesomely wrinkled face stared back at him through eyeless holes and an gapped black hole for a mouth. Breathing heavily on the ground, it was only when the voice behind the mask begun to lose its eeriness when the laughing soon became very feminine and clear. "This mask is great, Uta!" The woman applauded as she looked up toward Uta, who was knelt across from her and beside Kaneki.

"It's a prototype I made a long time ago, but it is good." Uta agreed as he began poking the side of Kaneki's cold cheek, but not before looking up at Hide's confused and shocked face. "Hey Hide, it's been awhile… How's my mask working out?"

"I'm… I'm getting used to it." Hide replied in a nervous tone.

"Ah, I see… And what of your's, Kaneki? How's my mask serving you?"

Feeling as if his heart was ready to burst out of his chest, Kaneki slowly and shakingly propped himself up with his elbows into a sitting position as he let out a long sigh. "It's… Great…"

"Give me a break…" Yomo muttered quietly as he approached the two ghouls who hovered over the shaken up bookworm. "Cut it out, Itori; you too Uta."

"Sorry, sorry, Ren." Itori said apologetically in a way that a daughter would say to her father, but in a sarcastic demeanor. However, before she could further poke at Yomo's buttons, a sudden thought came to her head. "Wait… Kaneki…?" Itori asked as she begun to take off the mask. "Then that would mean… Hide?" With the mask off, she turned to Hide with a gleam in her eyes. "Oh, so these are the kids you mentioned! Anteiku's own two freakshows!" While Kaneki and Hide weren't very fond of being called freaks, they nonetheless followed Yomo as they all entered the bar, which was labeled in bronze as 'Helter Skelter'. Sitting with Uta and Yomo on her right, Itori cracked a smile toward the two younger men who sat uneasily to her left. "Loosen up… This is my place, so you can relax, Kanekichi!"

"I've never been in a place like this before… And it's Kaneki, not Kanekichi."

"I'm happy you and your friend came to see me, Kanekichi." Itori continued; completely ignoring the correct way to say Kaneki's name. "I've heard about you two from both Ren and Uta."

"When I made your masks." Uta quickly commented in as he relaxed on the barstool.

"I was so jealous of them." Itori said with her lips pouted toward Kaneki and Hide, but then quickly turned her attention toward Yomo's stoic face. "Anyway, you are disheveled as usual, Ren. Shave once in awhile, will ya? And how long have you been wearing those clothes? Ten years?"

"Shut up…" Yomo snapped back as he looked away from Itori's grinning face.

"It must be hard for you two; having such a pain in the ass around you." Itori chuckle as she gave Kaneki a sly grin.

"N-No, not at all." Kaneki objected as he shook his head. "Hide and I wouldn't be here without everybody's help… I'm thankful."

After having heard Kaneki's genuine appreciation for Yomo, she felt her jaw drop as she stared at the two in disbelief. "No way…" She said in a quiet and awe-stricken voice.

"Gotta agree with my bud, Kaneki," Hide added as he patted his best friend on the shoulder. "If it weren't for everyone back at Anteiku, things would have gone a lot worse… Plus, despite how they act, I really do care about them… Sort of like a family, I guess."

"Oh. My. God." Nearly tossing over her bar stool, Itori leapt up from her seat before rushing over to the space between Kaneki and Hide to rub her fingers through their hair. "They're good kids, these two! So innocent! Whoa!" Itori shouted, to which neither Kaneki or Hide were very appreciated of. "They have that pure heart we lost."

"I'm still pure too." Uta chimed in before taking a sip from a small glass that contained red liquid inside.

Wanting to switch focus from him and Hide, Kaneki did his best to ignore how touchy the older woman was with them as he let out a sigh. "U-Um… Have the three of you known each other a long time?"

"Yeah. I've unfortunately been inseparable from Ren since he showed up in the 4th Ward." Itori chuckle as she let go of the two younger men so that she could return to her seat. "Ren and Uta hated each other back then, and the 4th Ward was so goddamn crazy compared to how it is now because of these two. The problems they caused us…"

"I'm sorry, you know how teenagers are…" Uta said apologetically as he set down his glass.

Meanwhile, Yomo just gave a nonchalant shrug at Itori's accusation. "Who cares about other people…"

"But that's all in the past," Uta explained as glanced over to Yomo. "We're friends now though. Right?"

"Maybe…" Yomo replied as he crossed his arms together.

Itori gave Kaneki and Hide a glance that ushered their attention over to Uta and Yomo's direction. "Renji used to be like Touka is now back in the day. Yeah! Like how they get out of control."

"That's enough about me… Idiot." Yomo said in a surprisingly deeper voice than his usual one.

"Ooh! He's pissed!" Itori squaled in an excited voice as she pointed toward Yomo.

"He is pissed." Uta agreed as he observed the slight twitch in Yomo's eye.

"Didn't you want to talk to them about something?" Yomo asked as he pushed for any change of subject that didn't involve having to do with him.

"Oh, right right." Itori agreed. Reaching over the counter, Itori retrieved a large bottle before setting in front of her so she could grab two wine glasses from behind the counter. "Here ya go," Itori said as she poured the two glasses full of a red liquid. While Hide's eyes lit up as he greedily took the glass, Kaneki seemed to furrow his brow as he stared uneasily into the glass. "Don't worry. It's not alcohol." As soon as she said that, Hide's joy and delinquent pleasure immediately faded, and found himself simply staring the wine glass in disappointment.

Leaning in closer toward the glass, Kaneki took a whiff of the liquid. "It's not wine… It looks more viscous… Is this blood…?"

"Somethin' like that." Itori replied as she stuck out her hand to grab hold of Kaneki's forearm. "Oops." She smirked as she caused the wine glass to spill on Kaneki.

Clenching his eyes shut, Kaneki let out a groan as soon as the red liquid splashed into his face. "Why would you…?" After having trying to be patient with the snickering woman, Kaneki felt himself gritting his teeth together as he glared bitterly at Itori, who simply stared back him with awe in her eyes.

"Be gentle, Itori…" Uta scolded as he took notice of Kaneki's facial expression.

"Whoa. I've never seen one before; A one-eyed ghoul."

"... What?" Kaneki muttered in confusion before turning to face Hide. "Hey… Is she right?"

"Yeah man, your eye is all red and black."

Somewhat ashamed and nervous, Kaneki quickly clamped his palm over his red eye as he looked away from Itori and toward Hide instead. "No need to hide it," Itori assured as she looked away from Kaneki. "We're all ghouls here; some more than others. Anyway… Do you think their One-Eyed King is like him, Ren?"

"I don't know…" Yomo said as he gave a slight shrug.

"That's helpful… Here ya go kid, sorry about that." Once again reaching over the counter, Itori retrieved a hand towel so she could give Kaneki something to wipe his face with.

"Thanks… Um, is there an actual ghoul with only one red eye? Like, a real ghoul, not what Hide and I are."

"Ooh. You interested?" Itori asked with a playful grin on her lips. "Okay, so let me ask you this… What do you think would happen if a human and a ghoul crossbred?"

"A human and… a ghoul?"

"Yup. What d'you think?"

"Um… You mean like a child born between a human and a ghoul?"

"They'd die."

"What…?"

"The possibility of pregnancy is extremely low to begin with." Itori explained with a an almost sorrowful look in her eyes. "If the mother is a human, the ghoul fetus can't receive the necessary nourishment… So it dies from hunger inside the womb. And if the mother is a ghoul, even is she becomes pregnant… Her body confuses the fetus for nourishment and absorbs it… But very rarely, there are some that are born a half-ghoul, half-human."

"They say that half-ghouls are far more superior than normal ghouls." Uta added in as he turned his chair around so he was facing Kaneki. "Although, it's still unclear if that's even true. It's almost an urban legend at this point, but they say one-eyed ghouls really do exist… Although, I would advise against meeting any actual half-ghouls, not whatever you two are; I hear that they're voracious and even eat their own kind…"

"Okay Uta enough! The free trial is over!" Itori shouted with a grin as she placed her finger on Kaneki's mouth. "I can't tell you any more. You see… A lot of information about both humans and ghouls is brought here. Information is a very valuable thing. Even more so than you think… So I can't give it to you for nothing."

Kaneki felt his frustration toward the woman reignite as he watched her nonchalantly gulping down a swig from a bottle. "I don't care about whatever gossip you have to offer anyway…"

"Oh is that so?" Itori asked as she gave a teasing smile toward the flustered bookworm. "Well, I suppose if that's true, then you wouldn't mind not knowing more about that little friend of yours: Mutsuki Tooru." Upon hearing Tooru's full name, Kaneki let out a gasp as he felt his eyes widen in shock. "So, even someone like you has their price… What'll you do if I tell you? Get revenge? Not that it matters to me, but you wanna know, don't you? It is about you and her after all."

"Him." Hide corrected. Placing his hand on Kaneki's shoulder, Hide stood up from his bar stool and made his way beside his best friend as he glared down at the smirking woman. "I take it you want something in return…"

"I do." Itori admitted as she leaned in closer to try and place her hand on top of Kaneki's, only to be swatted away. "How about a trade? There's a piece of information I want."

"... What kind of information?"

"Kaneki is being followed around by the Gourmet, isn't he? I want him to see if he can find out about the Ghoul Restaurant from the Gourmet." Itori explained as she leaned in close enough to Kaneki's face so that he couldn't avoid her greedy stare. "If we can figure that out, I can score points with my customer and I'll tell you everything I heard about Mutsuki Tooru. Everybody's happy, right?"


	13. Solitary Battle

**Sorry for the hiatus, but uh, I managed to figure out how to continue this story while under the influence, so hooray for rum! Once again, I thank you all for reading my work, and I appreciate feedback very much; thank you.**

* * *

"Information in exchange for information…" Hide muttered quietly as he and Kaneki continued their way back home. "Do you know about that? Itori said something about a Ghoul Restaurant…"

"Yeah, she said it would be either a membership only or some secret salon." Kaneki answered back as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "All just because she has a customer who desperately wants to go."

Crossing his arms behind him, Hide let out an elongated sigh as he rested the back of his head in the comfort of his palms. "Man, what a pain in the ass she turned out to be… So, are you going to ask Tsukiyama about the restaurant the next time you see him?"

"Yeah, I was going to try and ask him as casually as I can the next time I see him… But maybe he won't tell me that easily." Kaneki reasoned before giving a quick glance up toward the starry night that hung above Tokyo. "I mean, if it's a secret place, he'll try to keep it a secret, right…?"

"I dunno, you would think that… But…" Before Hide could finish his giving his input, a sudden thought interpreted him as he came to a halt. "Wait… Crap, where are we?"

Realizing that while he and Hide were discussing about Itori's offer, Kaneki wasn't paying attention to where they were going up until that point. "I uh… Huh." Kaneki muttered to himself quietly as he looked around the empty road they were going down. From what he could tell, they must have been near a warehouse; judging by the various vending machines and parking spaces around them.

Before Kaneki could apologize, Hide swiftly leapt next to him to clamp his hand over his best friend's mouth. Kaneki's eyes widened in a mixture of confusion and annoyance and begin to pull Hide's hand off his mouth, but was quickly met with a bit of dread as soon as he saw Hide bringing his finger up to his mouth to signal for him to be quiet. Releasing his grip from Kaneki's mouth, Hide motioned for the confused bookworm to quietly follow him before leading the way over toward an alleyway near a warehouse. As the two of them approached closer toward a small area that looked as though it was designated for docking packages, Hide raised his hand up to signal Kaneki to stop. Leaning against the wall, Hide peaked his head cautiously from the corner to see what was causing the ruckus he had heard. From what he could see, Hide could spot three men surrounding a hooded figure laying on the ground. While two of the men watched the other man beginning to beat down on the hooded figure, Hide began to contemplate on whether or not he should call the police; considering how it looked as though the man who was beating the hooded figure was clearly not holding back any punches.

However, before Hide could decide what route was best to take, he felt a bead of sweat drizzle down his forehead as he heard from behind him a sneeze. All three of the men stood up and turned toward where they had heard sneeze echoing out through the night came from. "Okay, cut the bullshit… Who's out there?!" Shouted the same man who had been beating the hooded figure down. Raising a brow in confusion, Kaneki watched Hide lower his head for a moment to mutter something under his breath before he took a step out form the corner.

"God damn it…" Kaneki muttered in frustration before forcing himself to step beside Hide while doing his best to avoid showing any sign of weakness.

With a smirk, Hide waved a hand up to greet the three men that had been assaulting the hooded figure on the ground. "Oi, what's up?"

The man who had been beating the hooded figure raised an eyebrow in a mixture of disbelief and shock. "What the fuck…" The man muttered to himself as he brushed his fingers through his short hair. "Look asshole, this has nothing to do with you, so why don't you do us both a favor and fuck off."

Keeping his cool demeanor, Hide's smirk remained present as he and the other man continued to stare intensely at each other. "So," Hide said as he broke the silence, "I know it's none of my business, but might ask why you're beating that guy's ass?"

"Err… Why the hell do you even care?" The man questioned. Kneeling beside the hooded figure, the short haired man pulled up the hood of the man to reveal a face that was familiar to both Kaneki and Hide.

As soon as Kaneki saw the face of the hooded figure, he let out a small gasp as recognized the man who had been beaten. "Nishiki…?"

"So, you know this wannabe lone-wolf's name?" The man mused as he took a step closer to Kaneki. "Ya know, I didn't think his asshole had friends to begin with."

Stepping between the two, Hide continued to keep eye contact with the assailant as he advanced on the group of men. "Hell no, that asshole isn't our friend!" Hide stated confidently. "However, I think the lot of you made your point, so why not leave him be? I mean, he looks beaten enough, don't ya think?"

Rather than responding with an imminent answer, the man simply stared silently at Hide for quite some time before letting out a small chuckle; which was followed by the laughter of his two friends behind him. Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a pack of cigarettes before reaching for a smoke inside. Putting the cigarette into his mouth, the man chuckle as he lit the end of it. "Who the hell are you two clowns anyway? You know where you are?"

"Hell if we know," Hide quickly retorted.

"Are you even a ghoul? Which ward are you two from?" The man asked before exhaling.

"The 20th Ward." Hide shot back as he took a step closer to the man.

"20th ward?! Jesus Christ, no wonder you two are dumb as shit!" The man retorted in a hysterical laugh. Taking his cigarette out of his mouth, the man continued to chuckle to himself as he flicked off the ash toward the dirty-blonde's direction. "Hey kid! Let me give you some advice: What we're doing here is something we're into… **EATIN' OUR OWN KIND!** " The man shouted as he used his left hand to quickly sock the side of Hide's cheek. Kaneki felt his heart drop as he saw Hide's head sway back from the force of the man's punch. Looking down at where he had struck Hide, the eyes of the man begun to turn black and red as he stared intently at Hide. "We were talking about who to play with tonight, and found Nishiki here walking around." The man explained as he clenched his cigarette tightly. "He's actually pretty tough, so we usually stay away from him; but, he seemed weak from injuries and hunger…" Raising his fist for another strike at Hide, the man let another chuckle out. "We know he won't taste that good, but there'll be a sense of accomplishment!"

Before the man could extend his arm to launch another attack, Hide quickly rose up to twist the man's arm before quickly taking the still lit cigarette from the man. In one quickly executed move, Hide dislocated the elbow of the ghoul while driving the cigarette into his right eye. The man quickly took a step back away from Hide as he cried in pain. "Shows you right for smoking, cunt." Hide taunted as he watched the man holding his eye in pain. "Ya know, if you ghouls were a little less hot-blooded, than maybe Kaneki and I wouldn't have to beat the shit of you thre-"

Before Hide could finish delivering his short-lived victory taunt, a cross eyed man from the group of ghouls had blindsided the overconfident young man and managed to tackle him to the floor. With his back pressed against the floor, Hide only had enough time to raise his forearm up to shield himself from the assailant's bite. Just as the ghoul was beginning to draw blood from underneath his jacket, Hide swiftly headbutted the ghoul's nose- shattering the nasal cavity of the ghoul, which poured down blood on top of Hide's face. Spitting and trying to wipe the blood from his eyes, Hide could only listen to the sound of the ghoul letting out a blood gurgling yelp along with the sound of a loud crack. "Holy shit!" One of the ghouls shouted as his voice echoed through the dark alley.

Hide only cared to catch a glimpse of his subdued attacker lying beside him and with a large dent in his ribcage. "Gross…" Hide muttered to himself before kicking his feet upward to launch himself on his feet. "Okay, assholes…" Hide growled under his breath before running toward the last of the three ghouls.

Before Kaneki could prepare himself to assist Hide with his target, a sudden strike to his head caused the bookworm's vision to go spinning as he struggled to keep his balance. "I'll fuckin' burn your corpse when I'm done with ya!" The leader of the group of ghouls shouted bitterly as he delivered another punch Kaneki's ribcage. Just as the ghoul could feel his confidence return to him, his slight grin immediately was wiped away as he felt his other arm being held against the side of the bookwork's ribcage. "Let go, you- **FUCK!** " The ghoul screamed as he felt the bones in his arm pierce through his own skin. With both of his elbows unusable, the ghoul had only a moment to look up to see Kaneki's elbow swinging toward him before his nose was shattered. In a desperate attempt to gain back control of the battle, the ghoul swung his left arm blindly toward Kaneki, who easily able to duck underneath the attack and countered with an uppercut to the man's jaw. Feeling most of his teeth cracking and falling back into his throat, the ghoul heaved over to his knees to spit the shattered remains of his teeth. With the man vulnerable, Kaneki back up for a slight running start before kicking the ghoul's mutilated face. The ghoul let out a slight gurgled whimper before collapsing into a pool of his own blood.

Looking down at the ghoul who he had beaten, Kaneki rubbed his head in a mixture of frustration and pain before looking down at his palm to see small traces of blood on his palm. Looking over to the where he had last seen his best friend running toward, Kaneki looked over further down the alley to see the ghoul Hide last attacked laying on his side against the side of a blood covered brick wall. "Hide...! Are you-" Before Kaneki could finish calling out into the dark alley, a familiar whistle caused him to look back over toward the ghoul who he had just subdued. "Hide, what are you doing?"

"Just taking our spoils," Hide answered casually as knelt beside the unconscious ghoul. "You know how in videogames, where you can loot people you defeat?" Hide mused as he began to fish his hands into the various pockets of the ghoul.

"Hide, isn't that… Isn't that stealing?" Kaneki questioned as he nervously looked over toward the beaten and bloodied ghouls in the alleyway. "I know they tried to hurt us and Nishiki… Oh that's right!" Forgetting to further ask Hide the morality of taking money from ghouls who had wanted to murder them, Kaneki made his way beside bruised and bloodied ghoul. Kneeling beside the senior student, Kaneki placed his two fingers over Nashik's carotid artery and waited to feel a pulse. Although the pulse of the ghoul was weak, Kaneki felt a small sigh of relief escape his lips. "Nishiki…" Kaneki muttered cautiously as he begun to gently shake the ghoul's shoulder. After having collected an impressive sum of yen into his wallet, Hide casually made his way toward Kaneki and Nishiki while whistling a tune. Turning to look over his shoulder, Kaneki gave Hide a worried look before turning his attention back at the unconscious ghoul. "Hide, I can't get him to wake up…" Kaneki sighed softly as he continued to shake the ghoul's shoulder, "Maybe if you get the water bottle from my bag we can-"

"Don't worry bud, I already know a way to wake up this sleeping beauty." Hide assured as he patted Kaneki on the back. Kaneki's concern only worsened as he could hear the distant sounds of sirens erupt over the dark horizon. Kneeling down beside the two, Hide simply stared mischievously at the bruised ghoul for a brief moment before sticking his own pinky into his mouth. Kaneki could only watch with his jaw agape as Hide stuck his wet pinky into Nishiki's exposed ear. In an instant, Nishiki let out a yelp as he flailed his arms to shove the two of the back. "See, told ya I had it handled." Hide chuckled while giving Kaneki a playful grin.

"Damn it… Why me…?" Nishiki grunted as he writhed in pain, but all trace of pain quickly was washed away as soon as he looked up at Hide. "Nagachika… What the fuck is your problem?" Nishiki growled as he bared his teeth at the smirking qunix. "Actin' all high and mighty… I'll kill you...!"

"How about you say thanks, asshole?" Hide shot back as he wiped his pinky on his jeans, but paused momentarily as he looked over his shoulder.

"Hide," Kaneki spoke softly as he stared down at Nishiki, "we need to get going; it's only a matter of minutes before this place is going to be swarmed with investigators."

"Couldn't agree more with you…"

* * *

 **If there was such thing as fate, then surely it had a sense of irony. Had it not been for Hide and I getting lost, Nishiki would have been killed for certain. As Hide and I carried Nishiki with his arms slung over our shoulders, every distant foot step and siren seemed as though it was closing in our location as we were forced to travel down through the backroads and alleys toward the campus dormitories.**

* * *

Ensuring to take extra caution, Kaneki and Hide took their time getting Nishiki up to the second floor of his dorm room after much effort in making sure not to drop him. "Is this it…?" Kaneki asked as he stood in front of one or the many numbered doors.

"Should be," Hide said with a slight nod as he reached into Nishiki's pockets. "I mean, I think it is, right Nishiki?"

The senior student growled bitterly as he turned his head toward Hide. "Once I'm better, you're…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Hide quickly brushed off as he pulled out a ring baring several different keys out from Nishiki's coat pocket. "Hey man, which key is it? There's like, twelve of these bitches."

"Give me that…!" Nishiki spat out before letting go of Hide's shoulder to swipe the key ring away. Muttering under his breath, like he had been doing the entire way to his dorm, Nishiki rifled through his key ring until he found the one to his dorm room. After having unlocked his front door, Nishiki shoved Kaneki away before stumbling inside his front living room. Nishiki managed to take two clumsy steps into his dorm room before collapsing in the middle of his living room.

Making sure to not trip over the empty bottles of water scattered across the wooden floor along with the several other empty cans of various drinks and food, Hide and Kaneki made their way inside the living room. "Damn dude, you need to have a field day in here…" Hide chuckled as he and Kaneki stood over Nishiki.

Clearing his throat, Kaneki made his way over beside Nishiki's face and knelt. "You should really get help from Mr. Yoshimura." Kaneki suggested as he reached into his messenger bag to pull out a small first aid kit.

As Kaneki pulled up his sleeve to begin applying rubbing alcohol, Nishiki let out a small scoff as he shook his head wearily. "I ain't going to that old fart…" He stated bitterly as he watched Kaneki apply bandaging to his arm.

"We already got him home Kaneki; I say we leave him and head back." Hide suggested as he looked down at the ghoul in pain. However, his attention soon switch focus over to the girl standing behind Kaneki. "Oh hey, we can explain-" Hide's words fell on deaf ears as he watched the young woman pull out a small black apparatus from her pocket. "Hey Kaneki, you should probably move out of the way."

"Wha-" Before Kaneki had a chance to look behind him, he felt a sharp wave of pain explode down his neck as a loud buzzing sound erupted from the taser the woman held. Kaneki let out a grunt as he collapsed to his side. "What… What was that for…?" Kaneki whimpered as he turned over to see the terrified glare of the young woman.

"W… Which one of you is the Narcissist?!" The young woman demanded as she stood her ground.

While seeing his best friend being shocked from a young woman with a taser was humorous to Hide, he did his best to hide his smirk away as he raised his hands up to defuse the situation. "Slow down, sweetheart," Hide said in a calm tone, "neither of us is a narcissist, so why not just calm down so we can explain what's going on?"

Although the young woman appeared to be trembling far less than she had been a minute ago, she kept her arm extended toward the two with a cautious look on her face. However, a groan from the ghoul lying down in the living room caught her attention. "Kimi…" Nishiki call out in a weak voice as he turned his head to look at her, "That's enough… Neither of them did this to me…"

"Nishiki…" Kimi whispered in a pitiful tone as she made her way to his side. Wrapping her arms around his chest, Kimi lifted Nishiki up to rest his head in her lap. Feeling slightly awkward, Kaneki did his best to quietly make his way beside Hide as the two of them watched the lovers. "You look terrible... Where were you…? Did you forget you're hurt?!" Kimi scolded in frustration as she could begin to feel her eyes growing watery. "Your wound could've opened back up…"

Staring at the reddening eyes of the concerned young woman, Nishiki let out a sigh. "What was I supposed to do? I was going crazy from being so hungry…"

"Stay here, I'll take care of you…" Kimi pleaded softly as she brushed her fingers through Nishiki's long bangs. "I'm scared something's gonna happen to you Nishiki... I saw him on campus the other day… The guy you called the Narcissist… I thought he came looking for you, that's why I'm here…"

"Tsukiyama, huh?" Nishiki repeated in disbelief. "Damn it, what was he doing at school…?" Nishiki sighed anxiously before raising his hand to stroke Kimi's cheek. "Stay away from him… You don't want him setting his sights on you…"

"That weird dude with the purple hair and a flamboyant outfit on?" Hide asked suddenly, which caused the two lovers to stare at him. "… Ya know, we're actually on the lookout for him; he's got some information that we need…"

Nishiki stared in skepticism at Hide for a few moments before letting out a silent retort. Kimi, on the other hand, kept eye contact with the two before slowly lowering the exhausted ghoul back on the floor. Standing up, she made her way in between Kaneki and Hide and simply stared at the two before breaking the silence with a sigh. "… Kaneki, Hide," She addressed quietly, "you two are like ghouls, but you're human, aren't you?"

"What gave you that idea?" Hide questioned as he rested the back of his head in his hands.

"Nishiki told me." Kimi admitted.

Kaneki felt his heart drop as he took a step backward. "S-Seriously…? Why would he…?" Kaneki stuttered in confusion.

However, in a sudden movement, Kimi clamped her hands over Kaneki's hands as she stared into his confused eyes. "Please…! Please don't say anything about this… I won't tell anybody about you two either..."

"Are you trying to blackmail us?" Hide interjected as he took a step closer to her, "I can promise you that the both of us have nothing to worry about with the CCG, so I suggest you try something else."

"I know you two are waiters at Anteiku; the coffee place that's ran by ghouls…!"

"… Well, I guess that'll work for blackmail."

"Please… I don't want to get anyone in trouble, it's just that Nishiki can't get away right now if somebody comes after him. Besides, I'll… I'll be punished harshly for harboring a ghoul too." Kimi explained with a frown. "It's a lot worse than harboring a human criminal… That's the law. So please, don't tell anybody about us…"

"Why would we tell anybody…? Kaneki asked as he retracted his hands from Kimi's grasp. "The issue here is if you'll really keep quiet about us... The fact is that Nishiki allows you to be near him, despite knowing what he really is, so that only begs the question on whether you can be trusted or not…"

"Yeah, aren't you a human, right?" Hide questioned as he crossed his arms together. "Why are you even with him? Aren't you afraid he'll get hungry one day and have you for a snack?"

"Sure, it was a shock at first… I wasn't sure about it…" Kimi explained as she looked down toward her feet. "But now, I just want to be close to him…"

"Are you into people who kill or something? Err… I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but Nishiki isn't exactly the nicest guy."

Kimi continued to stare down at her feet as she gave a soft nod. "… I… I think I'll keep looking the other way… Unless he kills my parents or friends." Kimi admit with guilt in her tone before letting out a loud exhale. "I know he needs bodies, and I know those aren't easy to come by… If necessary, I'll be his…"

While she wasn't paying attention to them, Hide quietly leaned in close to Kaneki ear. " _…Dude, that's weird._ "

"If I'd been born a ghoul… I think I would've killed people." Kimi continued to admit as she seemed entranced in her own little world. "I… Just happened to be born a human; that's the only reason why I'm allowed to live a moral life."

* * *

 **It did seem like a bit of blind faith… But maybe it's one way for a ghoul and human to be able to co-exist. Nevertheless, I was surprised anybody could think of the way she did. While Hide and I stopped by a vending machine before heading home, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if the people at Anteiku hadn't helped either of us… Would Hide and I continued our way through college without so much as a worry? Why were we even selected to be transformed into these odd beings? I always had thought that we were picked up off the street because what they did was somehow illegal or maybe they just thought that we would want to join them? Or perhaps they just needed test subjects that wouldn't be missed.**

 **As Hide and I made our way closer to our apartment, I couldn't help but wonder that even if Nishiki's life was in shackles, how reassuring would it be to have somebody who accepted him for who he really was? Was it good, or was it just a false assurance? By the time we arrived at the front door to our apartment, my tired and aching body decided that sleep was a better option than overthinking the relationship between Nishiki and his girlfriend.**


End file.
